Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica
by Thepingman
Summary: Due to the instability of boundary between dimensions caused by meddling of a certain time traveler, even mythical land, isolated from the rest of the world, in another dimension, is also threatened. Its protectors can turn a blind eye no longer, thus they step in to end the cycle.
1. Prologue: Multiverse Observer

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

Summary: Due to the instability of boundary between dimensions caused by meddling of a certain time traveler, even mythical land isolated from the rest of the world, in another dimension, is also threatened. Its protectors can turn a blind eye no longer, thus they step in to end the cycle.

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**Author Note**: 1: Hello everyone, this is my first fan fiction, also written in English for the first time. I have to say it here first that English is not my primary language, so it might get messed up somewhere in the writing, even I asked MS word to helped out. So, pointing out error from my dear readers is also appreciated.

And for the story itself, this's the idea inspired from so many fan fiction out there. Sorry for not using a better name than this, however it also spoiled the story nicely if you bother to search_ 'some part'_ of the_ 'name'_ on google or youtube. At least, it'll tell you who's involved in this fan fiction, from the Fantasy Kitchen Sink's side (If you know what that mean.), at least.

**Disclaimer:** Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Touhou Project belongs to their respective owners, I owned nothing here.

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**Prologue: Multiverse Observer**

From a point above the cloud, two humanoid figures floating idly above the raging black cloud covering the view on earth, their heads turn below them, as if they were eyeing the black mass of vapors that's so thick the light from the sun behind them can't pierce it, as if it don't bother their eyes in the slightest and they were seeing something that's going on below them.

There's certainly something going on below that mass of vapors, even for one who can't see past the cloud also knew this, if only they have other senses...

The crack of thunders and explosions, mixed with the crash of big mountain or large skyscraper sized objects collapsing one by one, and strange, terrifying, and insane high-pitch of a woman laughter roared from the raging black cloud continuously. Within that something unnatural is going on below, albeit hiding from prying eyes of anyone in the sky. And to the surprise of some militaries and scientists, even satellites or spy-satellites with latest observation technology still couldn't detect, record, or report any event that transpired under this cursed black clouds, as if their technology had malfunctioned.

No matter how great these black thick sinister vapors were at hiding something going on below from even the latest technology humans could offer in this era, it certainly cannot hide from the mystical sense of the arts long lost to mankind…

An art, known by modern day as "Magic" which, considering that human of this days have yet to invent practical personal flying instruments smaller than a glider, these two flying humanoid observers certainly had to be using it! If that's not the case, then they might be a sufficiently advanced alien coming to observe earth instead!

No matter what they are or what their purpose in observing this, despite the horrific sounds that continued screaming from the earth below, the two figures float still. No movement can be seen. No sign of fear can be heard. They where two figures, glowing silhouettes floating in the sky, backlit by the very sun and indiscernible to those below. What they can see is just the outline of clothes they wore billowing with the wind. Gentle curves defined the feminine figures in the sky. Something like a parasol cloaked the top half of the first, while the second's silhouette was less discernable, like a cross between a lotus and a human girl.

Of course, the source of the noise knew nothing of silent observers above the cloud, thus the event below unfolded without interference from third party. There was no aggression on the eye's in the sky, unaware where they, that there were more than "they" in this area.

As the deranged laughter, explosions, thunders, continued for five minute, one figure with eight points almost lotus like in the glare of the sun spoke for the first time, breaking silence between the couple.

"It's impossible for them, Lady Yukari, given my calculation; they will fail again, like the tales of this event's previous incarnation you told me about." The figure spoke in feminine voice, offering nothing but unbiased logical calculation. It carrying with it, respect to the one floating nearby who's name now identified as 'Lady Yukari'.

'Lady Yukari' replies with silence, her free hand waved to the sun behind as if to block the light from it, and then, a large portal adorned with lots of red eyes peering from within appears behind her hand swallowing the sunlight, freeing them of the blinding light of the sun. Able to see each other clearly once more with no direct sunlight exposure to naked eyes, they continued to observe.

The glowing glare of the sun removed, the shimmering light offers details on the mysterious figures. Ankle-length white robe with blue prints inscribed with some symbols at the front adorned the speaker. Her eyes are yellow, even bordering on gold. They shine with experiences and hold deep respect for the woman in front of her. Her neck-length blonde hair covered in a white hat which had two pointy edges where two long pointed fox ears might lay below. The hat itself is covered with lots of talismans as well. But the most distinctive features on her are her nine, fluffy yellow and white fox tails billowing in the winds behind her.

'Lady Yukari' which the fox lady to earlier, resembles more 'human' than her. In fact, she looks just like a young woman. Waist-length blonde hair cascaded down a white dress seems to pulled straight from Victoria era, over that she wore a purple Chinese tabard with Taoist symbols on the front. In one hand, she held a pink parasol point at the back as if to block the sunlight despite the portal with many red eyes has already done so. Her other hand seems to hold on to another portal… or to be more precise… black gap with red and purple ribbon tied to each ends, which she used it as a makeshift seat of some sort, floating aloft in the sky like a witch riding side saddle on her broom. Although her appearance suggested an age of below 25, the golden eyes bores wisdoms and intellect far beyond what mere 'humans' could hope to match. The calculating looks in them even more evident when she glanced at her lady fox friend for seconds before turning back to observe the sources of those noise below once more.

"The battle will end in defeat for them in a matter of minutes, Shall we intervene?" The fox lady asked Lady Yukari again, now her voice no longer unbiased. The tone and tilt of her voice communicates a nervous urgency for those below. "If we wished to, it must be now or we must wait for the next cycle." She persisted when it's clear that Yukari was tuning her out, acting as if she has lost interest in the events that transpired below already.

Seeing this reaction didn't fill her with anger. The fox lady said nothing more, just watched the other. Their familiarity with each other came from a long history of servant and master, so they knew quite well enough to guess what's in the other's mind at the moment.

Eventually Lady Yukari speaks to the worrying servant next to her "Do nothing, Ran…" she addresses her, who just blinks her eyes in confusion. "Before I say more… Ara-ara…" she exclaimed, her eyes dart from the surface of the earth to the… monstrosity… black mass things, its size, diameter, length, and height easily dwarf even the biggest skyscraper on earth and it still growing! Expand from the ground below past the clouds shooting straight into the sky above the two before forming into another massive cloud which span entire sky blotting out the sun.

Meanwhile, the cloud below the two ladies shattered, revealed wreckages of a city which looks as if it was decimated by a hurricane while there's still an urban warfare going on non-stop inside it! Most of the grounds were flooded with water, remains of skyscrapers protruding from the flooded area everywhere, some intact, other looks like they had been blasted by artillery barrage or tank's cannon. Some are just pieces of concrete, rock, wood, and other materials that can't be recognized, scattered everywhere. In short, it's a disaster, and the huge-black-column things shooting from the ground ever upwards so high that one wonders with a pained stiff neck where this massive tower will end. The situation has reached far beyond the tipping point.

At that moment, the Lady in white and purple dress mused 'Impressive, even if this thing's going to end all life on this planet, it's still impressive…' and then she frowned, considering the danger it will do to the place she loved and held dear. A far, far away land, or, in a sense, far away dimensions, parallel universe, if it somehow ended up there, without her and 'the guardian of the land' to take care of it…

However, considering this alternate dimension of the planet she knew, and behind the scene which started this chain of events, fixing it completely, as in 'it'll never occur again second time' is near impossible for her to accomplish unless she use her 'True Sorcery' to do so. Or the sources of its rampage stopped her futile attempts to save what she held dear. or… perhaps if some third party intervenes, a third answer could be found in cutting the vicious cycle down for good, with side effect proofing of course, else it would only lead to another problem later.

'But then again, why would I do that? I haven't had something this entertaining to watch in a while.' The Lady thinks, her lips turning into a mischievous smile.

Wave of invisible chaotic energy which can only describe as foul, twisted and corrupted power emitted from the towering black monster washed over their positions. It's touch awakes her from thought. She looked down upon the surface one more time, pulse of energy distorting just like the 'last many times' she found herself 'here'.

It's that sign which make Yukari speak again "…Looks like we've overstayed our welcome…" She waved her parasol and two more gap's appeared below her and Ran's feet "…Let's get out of here Ran, we have seen enough." With the word 'enough' the hole/gaps move up, The two figures vanish as if being erased from bottom to top.  
A moment later, the invisible distortion energy erupted from the epicenter which was once a cityscape once known as 'Mitakihara', now a former battlefield of some disaster that struck this once glorious civilization, and engulf the entire world, expand outward covering the entire surface of 'earth' completely.

And thus, everything reverses…

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In another dimension, the two ladies emerged from the black gap which opened up in a hallway of some sort of Eastern style house, Chinese? Maybe Japanese? Nevertheless, they arrived and quickly moved toward the nearest room with a sliding wooden door. There, Yukari sit down on a low table located in the middle of the near-empty room, save for a few cupboards, while Ran, instead of keep Yukari's company, she moved away, only to return a few minutes later on with a tray carrying tea pots, cup, and a plate of biscuits in her hands.

There's no doubt, this 'Ran' or 'nine tails fox lady' is indeed Yukari's subordinate…

After set down the tea and snack on the table, Ran move to the side of the room, lean her back against the wall, content to watching her mistress slowly sipping tea and biting her snack patiently, which is a considerable feast in itself since Yukari seems to take her time enjoying tea for full 30 minutes alone!

Anyway, once the 'snack time' has ended, The Lady quickly resumes the conversation from their 'trip off dimension' earlier "Now, Ran. Sit down." She ordered, which her subordinate quickly comply.

When everything set Yukari put her right hand out in front of her face, index finger point straight to the ceiling as if she was lecturing student "Okay, so you probably has a lot of questions loaded right now, fire away when you ready." Then she giggled which make Ran eyebrows twitch a little.

Given permission from her mistress, Ran asks the first thing that came to her mind, while clearly looks nervous as if this act broke the law somehow. "It may be rude to ask, but I'm certain that your power alone could put a stop to the distortion, but why?"

Yukari grinned, leaning back to non-existence chair, instead of her head crashing down hard on the floor, another black gap materialized behind her then answer in a lazy tone "What's the fun in that?"

Ran sigh and thought 'Typical for my master.' While Yukari started to elaborate "Think about it Ran, it's not every day we came across human who possess such interesting power, albeit unrefined and from literal 'deal with the devil', but interesting nevertheless…" then she cross her arms, eyes closed as if she trying to concentrate her thought and mind to form sentences, then she speak "And I ask you, Ran, between the choices of you achieve what you yearn for by your own determination, you own power, you own self…" she stress each words carefully to made her servants realized how important they are "…and a being of supernatural, wielding power far beyond even those 'contractor' could not hope to grasp or even give to their subjects such thing, came out of nowhere like a Big Damn Hero and fix everything up as if it never happen. Which one make you feel more satisfied? Or proud of?"

The Fox Lady frown, her eyes narrow down because her master has neglect something important that she had told her earlier, thus she remind Yukari again "But from my calculation, the cycle will never be broken if the thing goes as it is. The 'thing' that start it all always getting progressively more powerful each literation, the only logical answer here is 'will the threat of destruction of their universe' will made known to the 'devil' before the multiverse be destroyed by such side effects."

Yukari suddenly burst into laughter at her servant's word, made Ran lose her composure a bit while suppress the urge to ask what the hell she was laughing at, barely stopping herself from doing so by her moral code regarding her relationship with master. But at least she doesn't need to tolerate that long, about 30 seconds later, Yukari stop laughing, hand swipe out a drop of tear appear on her eyes then said "Sorry, Ran, I just never thought that you'll be such a good poet, aside from your calculation skills of course."

Ran's cheek redden at the statement, albeit a little hard to notice then she denied her in a slightly stuttering voice due to not sure how to response. "I…I'm not, you… praise m… me too much…" And that cause Yukari to start giggling again.

Finally Yukari decided that it's time to stop teasing Ran and REALLY get down to business "Of course Ran, _'The prides of completing difficult task by yourself'_ joke aside, I know too, that if this problem left unchecked, sooner or later, the power of that 'distortion' would grow strong enough to pierce the barrier between dimension, or multiverse." Then she lowers her voice to no more than a whisper, which Ran still heard clearly "Then things will get ugly."

Ran blink her eyes a bit, then ask new important question "Then, how…" but before she can finish the sentence, Yukari cut her off first "We send someone else there in our stead of course! I'll be content to sit back and watch the play unfold! Ho Ho Ho…" she laughs at the last sentence, making Ran sweat dropped.

Suddenly Yukari ask her subordinate with an unconcern voice "Which reminds me, Ran…" the nine tails fox perk up. "…How long before that chain of events will start affecting dimensional barrier? I mean between our universe and theirs of course."

Ran closed her eyes muttering something unintelligible deep in thought for another minute, while her master content to just watch and wait. Then Ran sigh "Your data pool is too small to make precise calculation, Lady Yukari." Then she elaborates "… But if I to make a prediction based on what we have, I would say between three to six loops or around five to nine months' time at best, depend on whether you use linear or exponential curve to calculate their power level progress."

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage to ask again "If we're going to send someone there to fix things up in our stead, we must start looking for them right about now, milady, else I can't guarantee that any denizen of Gensokyou apart from you, Reimu, Lady Yuyuko, or the Highest judge of Paradise (1), will be able to beat them once they reach fourth loops in the worst case scenario. And you know that Reimu cannot leave the barrier unattended, so she's out of the equation till Witch of Salvation or whatever the thing's called is right at Gensokyou's doorstep."

"You're overestimating our adversaries, Ran…" Yukari yawn, cut off her subordinate's ranting and explain "Those thing only have raw power, no refinement, since their thought always drown in a pitch black darkness of the deepest abyss in their heart, too much for any sentience being to have a clear thought. Thus, they'll act on instinct, never improve beyond what their basic instinct are capable of."

Then she let out a mischievous smile and tell Ran "And a challenge is always more fun to watch isn't it?"

Of course, Yukari know, that those three names and title Ran listed earlier, aside from her of course, is the most powerful being of this land when it came to a REAL FIGHT, not a fancy danmaku technique. And she knows that those are godlike in power level, literally in case of the Judge, technically in case of Reimu by her summon(2). Thus, if the worst come to the worst, and that monster left her with no other choice to stop its rampage and destruction of multiverse, then she was certain that 'the big four' would step in and stop it cold with 100% chance of success, if the great dragon didn't decided to do it in first.

"So?" Ran asks, uncertainty in her voice clearly evident.

Yukari tilt her head a bit, look at Ran, and then answer "So, we still have time, to devise a plan to get cooperation from some of the 'selected' agents"

At those words, Ran beginning to see something formulating in her mistress's mind, but yet to clearly see exactly what "What do you mean 'selected agents' milady? You have candidates in mind?"

"Sure, why not Ran?" her mistress answer mockingly before create a small gap, no longer than her servant's ear beside Ran's head and her own mouth, then whisper into it as if the name must be kept secret else the enemy will know.

Ran's eyes widen and the mention of 'agent' her master considered sending to another dimension she hesitantly ask "Why you thought that those 'three' will make a difference milady? They argued with each other, get into a fight as often as the drops of rain in raining season… And…"

"And they have the best teamwork… even they won't admitted it to each other, intelligence and experienced in fighting enemies who's way out of their league time and time again…" Yukari finish the sentence for her servants. But when saw confused look on her face, she decided to tell a bit more "You can clearly saw it already, the day they invaded the former hell by my manipulation (3). I doubt I must explain further than this…"

"No, not at all, Lady Yukari…" Ran mutter and then finalize her master decision "So, those three then, shall I go to fetch them right away?"

Yukari just shook her head and reply "No, not yet my Ran…"

"Why?"

"We need a plan…" Her mistress states lazily "and a way to make sure they will accept the job and conditions about going there, outside the barrier. No, not just that, we need to sorts the information out, what's necessary for them to know beforehand… well, the 'contract' part is a must, else we risk losing a piece on our board…" She grinned when think what's going to happen if one of them accept contract from that world "…All this will take time… Ran, so this loop, we still unable to do anything anyway…"

"But…"

"Relax, you said it yourself, it won't get severe to the point that I mentioned in this loop or the next." Yukari dismiss Ran's concern, much to the latter dismay. Lastly Yukari ordered her fox subordinate while pull out a gap next to herself "Prepare a plan and purposed it to me when I woke up for revising and adjustment before execution then…"

"Wait milady!" Ran nearly shout, knowing that whenever her mistress goes to sleep, it'll take a long time before she woke up again, wasting time, a time which they don't have… well, which _'they'_ don't have, not themselves.

However her cries fall on a deaf ears, Lady Yukari is gone from the room, left only empty plate and teacup for the loyal servant like Ran to wash. The fox lady sighs again while collecting those thing to wash and proceed to tend to their house as quickly as possible to free as much time as she could to devise a plan for her master…

'This going to be one hell of a trouble in execution, and that's just an understatement' Ran thought.

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**Author Note** (1): ZUN himself stated that even if Yukari, Reimu and Yuyuko were to gang up on Shikieiki (Highest Judge of Paradise), the Yama would still able to stomp them clean. So the power level of Shiki is the strongest in Gensokyou. Aside from The Dragon God of Gensokyou, who has yet to make an appearance proper in the series so far.

(2): From Manga Silent Sinner in the blue, Reimu summoned god and borrow their power to fuel Scarlet devil Moon expedition Rocket!

(3): Reference to story mode of Subterranean Animism.

Rate and reviews as you see fit, my dear readers. And update may take some time, long or short, depend on if I've free time and/or inspiration to write or not.

And before you ask, no, the update schedule do not have any relations with number of reviews, neither linear nor exponential (in graph term of course.). it only has relations with 2 factors stated above.


	2. Chapter 1: I Wanna See You Suffer!

**Chapter 1: I Wanna see you Suffer!**

About a month later…

Gensokyou, mythical land where all legends on earth in 20th century lived. A place for human, whose ancestor isolated themselves from the outside world to seal away this land had lived, and die. For generations the human and mythical being coexisted in this land…

In the green lush forest in the middle of summer surrounding the great lake that was near the only center of human population in the land full of mythical being, stood a huge western style mansion, painted red all over the outer wall and the building itself. A large garden with many flowerbeds trimmed neatly marked the front of the mansion shown that someone still living here. Even though the mansion itself lacks visible windows make the structure itself a bit creepy and ominous.

Deep inside the mansion, stood a gigantic library, fire lit by uncountable number of lamps hanging all around the wall, the ceiling, and even floating in mid-air lit the enormous room up quite a bit, not shiny, but nevertheless enough light to enable normal human to read anything that stored here without problems.

And of course, since this place is a library located INSIDE a mythical land, every kind of literatures you can think of, scrolls, tomes, records from the age long lost, forbidden grimoires, most of them can be founded here. Lied somewhere in the vast ocean of bookshelves that practically took up… at the very least… three fourth of the entire volume in this room.

This place has to be maintained, just like the entire mansion, whose exterior suggest that there's someone, or something took residence here. And of course it has, in the form of small succubus resemble a redhead teenage girl with bat wing in vest shirt and necktie just like office lady, darting from one shelve to another, arranging books in proper place, or even clean up dust and dirt with the help of the mansion head maid, and occasionally, fairies! Even they're a bit incompetent.

Oh… and trying to stop the thief, or thieves from stealing books in the library of course…

One black and white bolt dart through the front door of the library, speeding up across the room too fast for naked eye to see more than a blur. Even the assistant of the library, who's nearest to the wall, has tried to react, but it's too late and she can't keep up with the bolt…

However, before the black white can do more harm than moving around, a metallic chains suddenly shot out of the book lying innocently on the ground without any noise, without any indication of magic, and of course from the blind spot which the black white cannot see!

Result of the surprised attack left the bolt of black white wrapped in chains, which suddenly grown in length toward the center of the library, and began to pull the thing it caught there.

"Damn it!" The black white, or now identified as a blonde haired girl in witch attires, black hat, black and white dress, black shoes, and of course, a broom, only thing that's missing just a wand which replaced by octagonal shaped box something which out of reach of her hand inside her bag. "I should never believe that news the damn fox told! Who knew she'll double cross me like this!" She cursed under her breathe, while struggling futilely to escape from the magical chain. A feast easier said than done, considered her 'wand' is not in her hand, her broom bounded, her arms, or legs can't reach any weapons, and bursting magic isn't going to work either, the chains are too strong.

About five minutes later, the black white witch finally arrived at the center clearing of the library, only thing protruding from the flat ground is just one round table, large enough to fit six people around in a chair, a magic circle glowing with green light and chain coming out of its center, and of course, the double agent herself standing there with the owner of this library… and another guest…

"Alice! How did you get here?" The black white ask, her golden eyes look at another blonde in the group at the center, aside from the damn nine tails fox known as Ran Yakumo, there stood a girl with short blonde hair with pink ribbon wearing a light blue dress, a white mantle on her shoulder and a black boots. In her hand carried a big black book sealed by pink ribbon. Her bright blue eyes look at her friend, showing some sign that she was at least a bit amused at her suffering?

"Please, know that library do not allow anyone to run… or fly at such speed, or making loud noise… and stealing…" another voice spoke up, this time came from the woman standing next to the traitorous fox lady. She wear what can only described as violet pajama covered with a pale violet cloak, her violet hair drop down past her waist and has a lot of ribbons tied to it. Her head covered in night cap with the same color of her cloth and a crescent moon on top. Her purple eyes narrowed dangerously at the so called 'thief' struggling inside the chains.

This woman is Patchouli Knowledge, the unmoving great library, the girl of knowledge and shadow, owner of the Voile library itself. And thus it's unsurprising that she will be a bit annoyed with the presence of someone who stole her books regularly.

It's Ran who broke the tension that started to rise "Now, now, that you all have assembled, let's get down to business, Miss Patchouli, please release Marisa so we can talk…" at that word, Patchouli snapped her finger, millisecond later, the magic circle and the chain binding Marisa all vanished into nothingness, allow the black white witch to stand up once more.

Once free, Marisa yelled out of her lung in rage "Why are you doing this? You double cross me don't you!?" only to receive glare from Patchouli and Alice, while Ran just ignore her and simply reply with a shrug "That was an order from lady Yukari… speaking of which…" She trailed off. Staring at an empty table which a black gap suddenly appear, and from it her master emerge in her usual attire to greet the three mages in the library…

"So, the big bad reveal herself this early huh?" Marisa quipped which earn her a glare from the fox girl, but nothing more. While other just stands there, do not wish to get into a quarrel.

"My, my… sorry to disappoint you, but the final boss is in another castle…" Yukari reply with a smile on her face, much to Marisa's annoyance. "But for why I brought you all here… well, you see… as Marisa has said… I'm going to send you all to storm someone else's castle…"

"Please straight to the point, we don't have time to waste…" Patchouli interrupt the boundary youkai's speech a slight edge in her voice "I still have a book to write… and those spells to test out… *cough*"

"I agree with Patchouli and Marisa on this one. You dragged me here by using that…" She pointed at the fox, which to Marisa's surprise that she didn't noticed that Ran's holding one of Alice's doll as if holding a hostage. "So it's logical you state your business quick." Alice added quickly. Which follow by, surprisingly, Ran as well.

"I'm sorry for doing this to all of you" She spoke and bow a little to the three people whom her master ordered her to gathered them in one place, then turn toward Yukari "but milady, we too, have no time to waste, else we'll miss the schedule." Which cause Yukari to pout like 6 years old child whose parent denies buying her sweets and refuse to speak anything, at least, for a while...

"Point taken, Ran." Yukari said eventually, resume her manner to that of an elder. It was then that Marisa decided to ask snarkily "So, an incident? What's happening? Bunbunmaru and other Tengu's newspapers don't say a thing about abnormalities. Are you going to say 'prediction of future incident and wish us to prevent it.' or the like?"

"Ow…" Yukari moved her hand up to her chest, as if a bullet has punch through her heart "You hit it dead on. But it's not such a simple thing as you thought..." She then continues with a serious look. "Tell me, all of you, have you ever heard about alternate universe?"

Now it's Marisa's turn to make a confused look, while Patchouli decided to explain "You mean a world same as ours, yet different. For example, in another world, Gensokyou might never come to be. Or a world where magic and myth exist without the need of Great barrier?"

Yukari nodded "That's precisely, as expect from the great unmoving library…" She then waved a hand on the table, and a small holographic-like display showing a picture of blue sphere suspended in mid-air with a label 'We're here' and then another sphere with the color of blood next to it emerge from the black gap on the table face. "There's a dimensional disturbance occurring along the boundary of parallel universe close to ours lately…" as on cue, the red sphere flickered and scattered red mist around itself represents such event. "At first I didn't noticed it, but after a year or so, it didn't stop, and more than that, even the wave it send is stronger each time it triggered as well."

"So something's going on out there, but you're Youkai of Boundary, so why don't you go and investigate yourself?" Marisa ask "If there's someone who can travel between dimension or alternate universe at will then it's you, it's not like that rocket to the moon we used years before can make it to the destination this time you know."

Ran shot Marisa a glare, then proceeds to calmly explain. "We already going there, and can identify the sources of such event, it's from the birth of a witches."

The three magicians exchange glance at each other, loss of word to says to the two people next to them who bring them here, with or without cooperation from the victims. Yukari smirked at the reaction, then continues what Ran has left hanging "No, no, don't consider you three the same as 'witch' of that parallel world, it's a different being entirely."

"What do you mean 'different'?" The librarian is the first one to regain her speech, followed closely by Marisa "Are you saying that they're some kind of Eldritch Abomination hell bent on destruction of the earth?"

"You know… Marisa…" The boundary youkai spoke. "I started to doubt now, that it's YOU who can predict the future, not me!" And that made the black-white witch flinch. "Yeah, as Marisa gratefully summed up, Witch of that world are basically a monstrous being whose sole purpose is seeking for destruction of mankind, and the world by extension."

Alice then asks an important question "Earlier you said 'witches' as in 'they're so many', then how that world survived to this day? Except the world itself just born, which is unlikely, consider your story which suggested otherwise."

Yukari let out a mocking sigh before continue "There's a creatures called 'Incubator' on that parallel universe…" The pictures on the table now replaced by a white cat-like being but have a long rabbit ears reaching their back easily, and on each ears are golden rings each "…They make contracts with young girls, turn them into magical girls to fight those witches."

Marisa's brow twitches a bit at the word 'Magical Girl' and open her mouth, but the rainbow puppeteer beat her by asked first "You say they just sign a contracts with this 'incubator' and instantly able to wield magic without any kinds of prerequisite or training?" And to the ordinary magician surprise, Yukari nodded as to confirm her fellow magician's question.

And that make Alice blink her eyes twice then mutter with venom in her voice, her hands balled into a fist. "It's too much convenience... Way too much…" Of course Marisa didn't surprise by such action. Since she knew exactly just how hard Alice had tried, practices, studied and sacrificed before finally shed her humanity and ascended into youkai witch she knew today. The prospect of gaining power without shedding blood and sweat by gallons to pays for it, without a doubt, _an insult to her hard work!_

And speaking of it, as a fellow work-hard-to-gain-power-people, even the black-white witch herself can't help but feel the same as Alice… albeit not as strong… While Patchouli merely nodded her head signal Yukari to continue. However, she too, has a subtle fury lit in her violet eyes.

"Don't' resent those 'Magical Girls' too much… everything is not as sweet as it would seem…" She spoke with a voice like a mother trying to cheer up her daughter, albeit mockingly one at that. And suddenly switch her voice into a serious tone in the next sentence. "Those who contracted with incubators did not realize that if left unchecked, they themselves will turn into witches. And of course, our dear contractors did not mention it to those Magical Girls or would-be Magical Girls either."

"Basically, deal with the devil…" Patchouli help summed it up, but not without questioning look on her face as if something didn't add up. Marisa's and Alice's face seems to lifted of hatred and jealousy, replaced with pity for their alternate universe fellow magicians, or something that's a closest equivalent.

Seems Yukari has saw the purple magician face, thus she say more "If you're wondering why Incubators are doing all of these, they're gathering energy generate from transformation of magical girl into witch to replace the energy lost by entropy, or so they claimed."

"They claim? Shouldn't you know more than them?" Patchouli inquired.

"You shouldn't be surprised, it's an alternate universe, after all. Who's to say they don't have different rules from us? I, for once, have seen a universe where souls of legendary and great people are placed outside cycle of reincarnation by default, and can be summoned to save the earth, or battle each other for a wish-granting artifact." Yukari answer with a shrug while given an example that the three magicians doubt about its trustworthiness.

"Now back to the witches and Incubator." Yukari quickly bring them back on tracks "The witches they cultivated on earth are getting progressively stronger lately, that each transformation sends a ripple of energy strong enough to disrupt the boundary between dimensions. Not to say anything about the witch itself too."

"And that ripple made me able to catch a glimpse of future from that world a little bit." She declared. Then watch the reaction from the three magicians. Which are rather anti climatic, to say the least. Since all they did was just lift their eyebrows up a few millimeters.

"What?" that's all Yukari could asks. Before Marisa decided to voices comments about what they're thinking. "That's it? And here we thought that you become empowered super being that can stomp those witches by yourself… OW! What's that for?" She yelled when a grimiore in puppeteer's hand smack down of her head.

"Of course she can't, else why she came here and tell us about all of this?" That's all Alice's reply.

"Precisely…" Ran continues for her master "Even with milady's power, there're some… limitations… and we wish that you went to that alternate of an outside world and stop the coming of super witches, whose birth herald the end of entire earth, and by extension, broke the dimensional barrier. And might spell doom to our Gensokyou as well. From the prediction of milady, the witch will be born approximately one and a half month from today, we have little time to waste…"

"So you asked us to go to that alternate version of the outside world?" Marisa asked the oblivious again, but this time she can dodge the incoming blow from certain puppeteer, much to the latter's dismay. Who decided to snark instead "Yeah, Miss Oblivious. Thanks for the questions." Then she turned to Yukari "My question is, why us? There's other denizen of Gensokyou who's more capable of getting this kind of job done." Of course, she's thinking of certain Red-White Shrine Maiden of Paradise, Protector of Eastern Wonderland, Reimu Hakurei.

"Reimu's bounded by this land and the barrier, she cannot leave it for long. And I refused to open the gap of boundaries to link this land with that world for more than just getting three people pass through on a one-way trip, else the Incubator learned about… or sneak into our world, which will complicate the things further." Yukari shot that suggestion down instantly, before looking at Marisa who tried to speak something "And I know you're going to suggest Sanae of the Moriya shrine due to her experience of the outside world…"

That made the black-white witch asked "Yeah, but why not?"

"Her power are based on faith the sentient being have in her gods, the more they are, the more powerful she become." Yukari explain then toss a question back "So tell me, in a world where EVEN Moriya Shrine don't exist to begin with, how strong she would be?"

The logic Yukari explained seems sounds, but in fact, it was made up entirely, and with good reason. Sending Sanae to quell the problem would mean now the Hakurei clan has owed them a debt, thus spread their influence in Gensokyou further than Youkai Mountain, destroying the balance of faith between the two shrines. Something which Yukari definitely cannot allow to happen even with this stake! Of course, if the worst come to worst and Kriemhind Gretchen invaded Gensokyou, they'll sure to help her stopping it, and thus owe each other nothing significant enough to get such deals.

"Doesn't her spell cards exempt from such rules? OW!" Marisa gets cut off mid-sentence by Alice's grimiore to the face again.

"You idiot! The outside world absolutely not having the spell card rule!" Alice explains with an annoyed looking face.

"And that's what I'm going to tell you another rule when you get there." Yukari speaks, only to interrupt by Marisa "Hey, who says we're going to accept this mission?" And this time, both Alice and Patchouli nodded in agreement. Which made Ran release the grip she was holding Alice's doll, which floating toward her owner's open arm, who quickly kept it into some sort of hammerspace and disappeared from everyone's view. However, considered that she got what she came for she would walk out on this, but she stood still…

Yukari smirked in her mind seeing such reaction from the seven colored puppeteer _'one's on it, two is swaying, time to add more motive…'_ and thus she speaks "Oh, didn't you interested? Do you feel nothing when those creatures pretend to make a dream of magical girls come true…" Marisa twitching her hands as if she wants nothing more than grab her mini-Hakkero and blow Yukari to smithereens "Only to crushed it with a half-truth and lies?"

"Absolutely Not!" She yelled at the gap youkai. Then declared "I'm going hunt those rabbit abominations down, find a way to reverse contracts, and showed them what a 'True Magical Girl' capable of! Or so I think will do!"

"For me, I think we must teach those girls that if you want to use Magic, you have to work Hard to get it, not deals with a devil." Alice stated which support by a few words from Patchouli who seems to share this sentiment too. "No pain, No gain…*cough* and I would like to study these sad excuses of a magicians, and the so called 'witch' a bit too." Then her face turned into a smile which could only see on Mad Scientist in some lame movies. "We might found something… interesting…"

"And back on the problem about magic earlier." Yukari quickly put out more information, seeing that the three magicians already agreed to go on an errand in her stead. "Unlike spell cards rule in Gensokyou where the battle can't kill no matter how devastating your spells or spell cards is. But when you ventured into an outside world, now it can and WILL KILL if the magic you put into it is strong and concentrate enough. The same also apply to the magical girls and witch there too."

Then the boundary youkai turn toward Marisa "That's right, No Master Spark for you if there's a possibility that innocents would be caught in a blast." That make Marisa frown with annoyance. "And no Royal Flare or Goliath Dolls either. Least you draw too much attention or kill someone in the crossfire." This turn Alice and Patchouli merely nodded, considered that they like finesse, dexterity and strategy more than raw power anyway, so it's unsurprising.

"But be warned, if you have to fight witches, do not hesitate to kill, or they will do it to you in turn." Yukari warn them with a serious tone "And no, before you ask, there're no known methods to reverse the magical girl contracts, or magical girl to witch transformation yet, else it would be too easy." Of course, Yukari exclude herself from the equation when telling them these facts, like they didn't know about that already, yet choose to ignore it anyway.

"But what about those Incubators?" Alice asks, her face look as if just thought of something important. "If it suspects us by any chance, and sic magical girls at us instead?"

"And I thought you'll not ask that…" Yukari let out a sigh, clearly see that she hope against all hope that none of these three will not ask this question, in futility. But then again, she has no choice but to explain it anyway. "… It depend on you want to kill the girl in question or not, if you do not, then destroy their body is fine as long as their soul gem still undamaged. However, I prefer that you avoid such scenario at all costs, since witches cannot be seen by normal people so killing it wouldn't cause a ruckus, but magical girl can… and that'll attract authority when someone's missing or found dead, although I doubt normal human could match you three, it still obstruct your movement in the mission. Not to mention the incubators would be sure to sic others after you as well, since you just murdering their tools in the plan."

"Soul gem?" Alice's eyes narrows when she caught something in boundary youkai's sentence that's unfamiliar with. "I don't recall you said something about this."

Ran decided to explain it quickly, even if they're youkai, a monster by human standard, doesn't mean they'll enjoy killing human, magical girl or not. "…It seems that in a process of invoking magic power in human by incubator's contracts has included an extraction of their soul and crystallized it into a gem-like object." She turned to Yukari, who waved a hand at the table display what's look like a shadow of early teen girl and an egg-shaped gem glowing in her hand. "…by destroying the gem, will result in instant death of the magical girl in question. Oh, and you can also check if the girl is near the state to transform into a witch by looking at it too…" then the gem in display started to darken, then a crack appeared around, then shattered and turn into another blacken orb with pointy things at both ends.

Yukari stopped the display, the gap on the table closed down, leave only wooden desk of table clean as if nothing ever been there. "Well, that's most of it. And before I forget…" she snapped her gloved fingers, and a bunch of bank notes, net total of 100,000 yen each, appeared in each magicians' right hand. "I think this would cover your expense for a month and a half, if you're clever..."

Of course, this could cover their expense in human village for such time span, but NOT in other world since its' values is not the same… And Yukari also omitted some truth and lied a bit herself, like she didn't tell them why the witches are progressively stronger, or the truth about her 'foresight'. But as the old saying, telling everything about the show would ruin its entertainment value when you actually watch it. Thus, why spoil the fun?

"Wait! Are we going right now? What about hanging in Voile to devise strategies?" Marisa asked while starring at money in her hand while the other two magicians had tugged it somewhere to free up their hand already… No, she's not happy with this money at all, since it just a sign that Yukari's going to send them to another world in any seconds now.

"You need to get to battlefield first to set up a base, and devise a plan. You see, most failure of a general in army is those that never saw battle themselves, thus know no conditions, know no variable to effectively fight their enemy." Yukari explain with amusement.

"When did we change genre into Real Time Strategy? I think we're in an RPG!" Marisa asked only to get whacked by two books from two fellow magicians.

"Knock it off, Marisa! We're not playing game here!" The blonde haired puppeteer yelled.

"Any questions left?" Seems Yukari started to get bored judging by her voice "If not, I'll send you right a…"

"Wait…" Called the Librarian "How large is the area we are going?"

The boundary youkai laughed and answer. "Not too much for a force of three magicians team to handle… but for another bonus, it's a city called 'Mitakahara' don't bother to look it up in your library, this's an alternate universe you're going, so it'll be pretty difference."

Ran then added up with guilt in her voice. Her head lower as if to ask for forgiveness. "I'll try to stay in contact with you three by asking Reimu to help out a bit, however, given what's at stake if Incubators or witches got through to our land or even outside world in our dimension, it won't be as long or as often as you'll wanted it to be."

"Well, that's quite reliable of you, Ran" Marisa quipped, knowing that if Yukari were to do this herself, they won't get EVEN a SINGLE contact from Gensokyou at all, due to she'll busy sleeping all days long.

But it seems that Yukari has caught on that subtle hint behind those words, thus her lip twist a little, before speak up. "Now that you've enough chitchat, we better go, RIGHT NOW!" Yukari snapped her finger suddenly.

Without any warning, three huge gaps opened up under three magicians, gravitational force pulling them in to prevent them from flying to safety or even react. Of course they tried to, but Yukari is a Youkai of Boundary, one of the founder of Hakurei Barrier herself, this can only ends in futility.

While their body started sinking into the void beneath Yukari decided to speaks to them a final time, in voice that sounds like royalty giving an inspiring speech to their champion. "We have survived for thousand years by hiding, my friends, but today it has changed…"

Now the gap has consumed the three magicians to their chest, to this point they already resign to their fate… well, not quite like it, since it's their choices to go there in Boundary Youkai's stead anyway. Thus they're surprisingly calm down, decided that they'll storm Mayohiga together and kick her ass after all of these mess has been cleared later. Not that Yukari noticed their thought anyway, so she still continued her speech. "You are the tips of our spears to stop the catastrophe from befall our world…"

"Forgive me, my friends, and be safe… be safe…" At the last word, three of the best 'witches' in Gensokyou's history has vanished from the library, from this dimension, toward a new adventure in another world…

"And now, the stage is set, let's go back to our home to watch the fireworks, Ran… this will be fun…" Yukari called her subordinate before open a gap below herself.

Ran looked at her master a few second, then shake her head and reply. "I have to arrange for coordination from the Miko in communication with the team first milady, time… is of the essence…"

"Aww, you don't have to take my order that serious…" Yukari pout while walking toward Ran and slap her shoulder in a mocking manner. "Just sit back and watch the show for a day will you?"

"But in a first day like this, action will be at a minimum…" Ran countered with a fact. "It'll take time for those three to set things up before they can get serious about objectives_, not mentioned that you send them at a good distance away from Mitakahara city! _It'll be a while before they can get anywhere near that place, thus this's the best time to arrange everything without missing any climax, milady."

Yukari withdraw her hand and huff. "Fine, let's get it done, and go back to prepare my dinner on the double. Duel with Reimu is to avoid, it'll take too long, bribe her instead."

"As you wish, milady…" With the last word, Yukari disappeared. Before Ran took off from the empty library, to get out of the Mansion toward the shire of Hakurei…

With only one assistant tending to it, knowing that her mistress will be gone for quite a while…

* * *

**Author note:** Remilia accept some 'bribe' from Yukari without knowing what it entail (borrowing Patchy on a mission.), until it's too late. Thus no objection from her.


	3. Chapter 2: I Wanna See the Future!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 2: I wanna see the future!**

It was nighttime for an expansive city of Mitakahara, large skyscrapers are merely a silhouette with a blink of light coming from the corner of its structure denote its height to prevent any planes from flying into it. Below them, the artificial lights illuminate walkways and buildings along the roads and highways, giving life to a modern 21st century human settlements.

Even from a neighboring, smaller city of Kasamino, located around 40 kilometers from the outermost area of Mitakahara, one's in the house at the outskirt of it can still see a light in the horizon even when their house still lit up in the night…

However, from the manor of the once great politician, Hisaomi Mikuni, has fallen into silences, devoid of light and life to the point of abandoned. Not even a single guard at the door of an expansive rose garden in front of the main building. Which is strange considered the person of this caliber. But from the look of the garden, which the bushes and tree just started to grew out of its place suggested that, whatever that make people abandon this resident, it's still not long ago…

And there's a sound coming from a balcony on the second floor to the right of the manor, in the dark room without light, a voice of a girl… and a flash of light, then everything return to normal.

Or so it would seem…

Near the balcony, a light of the moon shine on a figure in white and blue dress with a large bishop-like hat stood. Who stare aimlessly into the black night sky. Her long, bushy grey hair went down past her hip nearly reach the knee blowing in the wind. But the most prominent features on her is the glowing oval-shaped sapphire on her collar. And on the fence of the balcony itself, stood a small cat-like creature with long ears and a golden ring around said ears, its body no taller than 6 inches. Its red eyes watch the woman in white without any particular interest.

From seconds to minutes, the two stood in their places, not moving even a single inch from the position as if they're just statues, sculptures of great artist which looks so much alive ones can mistake it for a real living being.

Except that in the girl's mind… it's not as calm as her exterior behavior suggested, it filled with all sort of negative emotions, rage, hatred, despair, all welled up from within by the knowledge she has gained through the desperate 'contract' she made just not fifteen minutes ago.

She look through the future that played up in her mind thanks to her power, all leads to the path of destruction, all leads to her downfall, no one to save her, no one to save the earth, even the one who can 'undo all things' will met her demise this time… With her intervention or not…

It all doomed…

Tears welled up in the corner of the girl's eyes, yet she did not give up hope just yet! Her power flared up yet again, there must be a way! Futures are not set in stone, else why she has this power to begin with…

Another five minutes passed, and then she suddenly came to a stopped, Her neon-green eyes regain its sense of 'present' vision once more, which glare at the creatures on balcony with pure hatred for a second, before narrowed down, deep in thought. 'What's that thing? Anomaly which even my '_Seer's eyes_' cannot see past the event of my encounter with it(1), it's not a vision of my death or me turning into a witch like other future possibility I've seen either… just vision of me meeting three shadowy figures who's cannot identified just yet…'

Combined her past divination with this knowledge, she decided that it would be the best if she get to meet those mysterious figures who'll appear within any moment now. Consider that even her ability cannot predict the outcome of this encounter, who was to say that this's not an interventions that can save the world?

Speaks of interventions, the woman who looks just like teenage girl if not for the dress she wore making her looks 20 years older stare at the creatures, whose expression never change one bits from that cat-like smile of his even under her hatred filled gaze. She knew that she must rid of its presence in her home before confront the mysterious shadow, which she predicts will arrived in her own house soon! Or the incubator will sure to make a move to prevent their intervention in their grand schemes. The problem now is HOW!?

'Shoot it in the head? No, another will come here to devour the corpse, and I don't know how to vaporize Kyubey yet! Lure it by baiting a potential magical girl? It'll suspect that I'm up to something. Maybe I'll go with pretending I'm having an emotional breakdown and demand solitude? Yeah, that can work, I don't think they'll care if I turn into a witch instantly after contract anyway… They probably chalked it up as 'Go mad from revelation' or something since they know what I wished for, so…'

After it was decided, the girl's started to tremble, tear welled up in her eyes which close shut. Her paled mouth open slightly and whisper. "No…"

The creature noticed the change of its subjects, thus it began to speak, even when its mouth froze still in a cat-like smile. "What's wrong? Doesn't your wish come true?"

"Don't' mess with me!" The girl screamed, do not bother to look at the creature. She slumped down to the floor on her knees, one hand resting on the tearful eyes while another on the ground.

"Come on, Oriko, tell me what did your wish has done? Are you not satisfied when your wish has been fulfilled?" The creature press further, spoke without care due to lack understanding of human's emotions. Thus it doesn't really know if speaking some words or some phrases will make things better or worse. Only its memories of interacting with other examples serves as a reference, it cannot see through façade that easily, considering how they deceived girls into contracts and 99% of them never found out the truth until it's too late. It merely thought that the wish that this girl got is revelation of the 'truth', and is only on a verge of breakdown from it.

And that's what this magical girl, Oriko is her name, is taking advantage of at the moment.

"Get… out… Kyubey…" She whispered, yet in the silence of this house, it's unsurprising that the creature heard her words. Cementing its assumption that the girl just breakdown from seeing the truth. "Leave, ME, ALONE!" she then screamed and throw marble-like object from her finger at the creatures which missed its head by a centimeter.

"What a waste, I thought that you would hunt down a bit more witches, accumulate more grief before turning into a witch yourself later on." Kyubey said with a slight disappointing, since this girl's wish already grant the truth to her… _well it had to be, he heard her wish himself!_ There's no point in hiding it anymore. "Well, know this that your sacrifice will not be in vain. The universe will be grateful of your deed today." With those words, it jumped down the balcony from two stories high manor, strolling past the rose garden, into the dark street, finally vanished from the Mikuni mansion.

A few minutes later, Oriko stood up, her neon-green eyes looks around cautiously, searching for that creature's presence. When she was sure it's no longer around, she quickly slid to the door without noise, get out of the room and closed it, then made her way toward the place shown in her visions.

In her own house's basement…

* * *

Unknown to Oriko, just five minutes after she left the room, another figure jump up on the fence of the balcony. Moonlight illuminate the waist length dark haired middle school girl in clothing that resemble a white and purple middle school uniform with short purple skirt and black tights over high heel, on right hand she has Desert Eagle hand gun, on left wrist she bore a metallic shield-like object, dark violet eyes peers into the abandoned room which show no sign of inhabitants, excluding the footprints and dragging line on the shallow dust that covered all over the floor.

The girls' eyes now show a sign of confusion, after searching the room for five minutes, and even jumped to the other room next to it, and the next… nothing at all… no sign of human… or any creatures that is, except she count that one strolling the street on the way to Mitakahara, which force her to waste another 15 minutes hunting it down, least it go after Madoka again!

Even then, just 15 minutes late, she shouldn't have gone that far… but then again, Kyubey should've stayed and supervised her for a while after 'contracts' isn't it? All other 'times' when it contracts magical girls, it always been there… not leaving immediately likes this… And she can cut the possibility that there're more than one out around here too, this far, in a place where there're no single girls to contract except this one? No way Incubator would send more than just one of them here, considered it a waste of time.

There's another possibility in her mind, consider this girl's power in every timeline she faced her, maybe this time she fell into despair faster than the other and transform or kill herself off already?... It's highly probable… especially the latter options, considered that her soul gem still show no reaction at all after being here five minutes already.

Of course, the dark hair girl has another reason to reach such conclusion even she haven't found her targets' body or 'witch form' yet. She's not a hunter, an executor maybe, but definitely not skilled in finding clues or tracking anything other than witches. And that's not even mentioning her conscience. Even doing this will stop interference, she still felt guilty, feeling blood of an innocents who, as same as her, wish for a better world to live, on her hands every times she killed for the sake of Madoka's safety.

So when there's a high chance that this time, she might not need to stain and burden herself with additional two corpses… Considering that another target on her hit list basically harmless without this one, hell, the other target doesn't even contracted yet this time, might be because Kyubey never go to her due to this girl not pointing a potential target for him in the first place! No point in killing the other one either. So, she took that option immediately…(2)

And thus, written off the target as 'dead by transformation into witch or suicide', the dark hair magical girl shoved her gun into the shield, which it disappear upon contact, then she jumped down from the manor and make a run back to Mitakahara as quickly as possible.

Since who's to say that that cross breed of a rabbit and cat won't trying to contracts Madoka when she's away and staying here for too long!

* * *

The girl in white made her way to the basement of her manor as silent as possible. No, she didn't know about assassin who's nearly claim her life before taking any action yet, since she has been concentrated on precognition of the grand event which herald the death of the world more than anything at the time. Not to mentioned that future is full of possibilities, she just doesn't looked at the right one where this will happened, and the one where there're no future to foresee like this certainly more interesting.

During her descend down the stairs leading to the underground of the house, she suddenly stopped when an extremely strong energy pulse similar yet unlike those of the witches (She just felt like it, consider that she never fought a witch before.) has washed over her, generating from the direction she intended to go, before falling silent as abruptly as when it started.

For a minute Oriko stood still, unsure whether to press forward and find out what lies at the end of this path where even her clairvoyance cannot see through, or back off and prepare to face certain doom either by that black haired magical girl or the great witch.

It was then that word from certain character in certain manga she read when she was young surfaced in her mind, its' name was 'The Silent Services' or something…

"_There's nothing 100% certain in this world! There's always the last 1% of hope in everything!"_

That's it! As if those words held power, encouraging her to do the nigh-impossible, She press forward, ignores her basic instinct regarding the unknown to flee. Each step carried on with bravery grown up in her mind.

And that brought her to the end of the stair, in front of her there's a wooden door stand between her and an unknown destiny she foresaw in her vision… Just when she's about to reach for doorknob, a sound of a girl yelling on top of her lung from the other side stop her cold…

"Damn that Yukari, I'm going to get her for this!"

"Please be silent,*cough* Seems we arrived in someone's basement." The second voice spoke softly, yet carried with her a cough, was she ill? Oriko was certain that the servant has cleaned this room regularly, well, until recently at least, so there shouldn't be that much dust collecting there wasn't it?

"Thanks Patchy for pointing out the oblivious!" The first voice quipped.

"Hmph, typical for that youkai… I should know this, but then we all get caught off-guard!" The third voice made herself known to the owner of the house next to the door. And the conversation inside continue mostly about how they're going to deliver a retribution toward someone they called 'Yukari' and some quarrels between each other, which only served to confuse Oriko further than before.

Yes, she has a reason to confuse alright, and her clairvoyance can't see anything didn't improve her mood at the slightest. So she just decided to use the most logical action in case strangers suddenly appear _inside_ the house, apart from locking the door and call the police, since authority may not care about what happen to her anyway after that farce of her father, the state of the house she lived in and herself is enough proof of that.

She pushed open the door, hands ready to throw a blue marbles which seems to suddenly appear between her fingers thanks to her magic at the possible hostiles, only to blinks her eyes when she saw who're inside the dark basement which serve only to house the pump and machinery of the manor. 'That's certainly not what I've imagined.' She thought.

Before her eyes stood three girl who's appeared to be of her age judging from their height and look on their faces. The one closest to Oriko has short blonde hair girl in light blue dress and white mantles which could pass off as a normal European girl, she wore a black boots on her legs and holding what looks like a black grimoire sealed with red ribbons. She was arguing with another blonde of the group, failed to notice a new presence in this little room.

The one that first girl is arguing has waist length hair, and in a black white witch attire, no, not the witches monster Magical girls destined to fight, but witches from Middle age folklore! And the broom in her right hand only serves to improve that image further! She too, quarrels with the first one without caring that the owner of this house is staring at them…

The last of the group, the violet haired girl, is in what she could only described as light purple nightgown, as if she had been dragged out of her bed just a moment ago! Although her figures look just like normal teen, or late teen girl, but violet eyes which stared back at Oriko's spoke otherwise, it bore wisdom, knowledge, experience, and power which no normal teen could ever have!

And last but not least, all three of them have been practically leaking power! She can felt it even it's clear as day that these three girls has no sign of contract with that little bastard! Oriko herself even has a nagging feeling that they might able to do magic even without contract at all!

And of course she would come to regret that thought a few moments later…

The violet girl then spoke for the first time in Oriko's presence not bothering to take her eyes off from this staring contest. "Stop it, Marisa, Alice, we have company…"

It takes almost ten seconds for the word from this 'Patchy' to registered on the quarreling duo. Who's quickly looks right back at Oriko in a dimly lit room. Then the witch-girl spoke with a venom the instant she saw her. "What? Watching us suffering aren't you? Yukari!"

Oriko's taken aback by such sudden aggressive behavior and a flare of magic power from the black-white witch, instinctively take a step back. And then trying to defend herself from false accusation. "Wait, I'm not this 'Yukari', my name is…"

"Like hell I care for your false name!" She yelled, brandishing out an octagon shaped box which aim its center at Oriko! "Since you're here already, then prepare to suffer the consequence!"

"Wait, Marisa!" Another blonde haired girl shouts, but it's too late. Witch Marisa started chanting something, octagon shaped box glowing bright white light, prepare to unleash something that Oriko can see its intension clearly even without using clairvoyance. (Well, even with clairvoyance, she still saw it akin to shadowy blur which she can't make out what the hell she was seeing anyway.)

Thus she did the most sensible action, an action that she only saw on war movies, or anything involves authorities fighting crime for that matter… She drops to the ground for cover! Just in time for the witch to called out her attack…

"**Light sign: Earthlight Ray!"** The glowing light on the octagon split in five, hovering around the witch for a split second, before unleashing a LASER of all things that shoot straight past where Oriko was milliseconds ago! It collided with the stair behind and exploded in a shower of debris and flame.

Oriko rolled on the ground, before quickly stood up and throw dozens of marbles toward the black-white witch, ignoring the other two who stood still while yelling at the black-white witch to stop, no point in provoking non aggressive into assault anyway.

The marbles she threw spread a bit tight while accelerate themself toward the enraged human witch, considering the limited space of the basement, there's no way for the witch to dodge it without taking some hits, small body or not. Yet Marisa defied all Oriko's calculation by quickly jumping, spinning and twisting her body in an impossible angle! Well, not totally impossible, since Oriko's pretty sure that any gymnast worth their salt could do the same as Marisa, if you exclude the flying in midair part!

Yes, now the black-white witch is hovering in midair! Oriko stared in horror when she saw all her marbles explode against the wall harmlessly, ALL OF THEM! Which translated to 'all her shots missed'! Not only the black-white, the other three just shot her a disapproving look while sidestep to avoid all debris and marbles without so much a dust on their person!

Marisa now has a frustrated look on her face, while she was looking at that octagon-shaped box in her hand "What's happening? **My spells should not take that long to cast! And this's just a weakest one at that!**"

That seems to garner a reaction from another two intruder, while Oriko stood still, more marbles appeared in her hand, ready to throw at a moment notice, the other two exchange glance, the purple one closed her eyes, hands stretch out while muttering some sort of incantation, yes, that should be it, else why there's a snowflake-shaped violet magic circle appeared on her feet?

Oriko back away, not sure what to make out of what the girl in violet trying to do, thus the spell went off uninterrupted. The circle seems to grow larger a little, drawing attention from everyone inside the basement, forgetting that they're fighting. 3 seconds later, it vanished, the purple magician opened her eyes look around the room, and speak "Mana, Prana, or ambient magical energy, whatever you called it on this world is lower than what it was in Gensokyou, not much, but the difference's still significant enough. So it's understandable that spell casting will take longer than usual to gather the required energy, we must be careful."

Marisa scowled, clearly not pleased with the explanation "fine, but Alice, Patchouli, why aren't you two helping me exact revenge on the boundary youkai over there!" she point in Oriko direction. Making the owner of the house take a step backward. While the other two girl look at her for a second and then frowned, as if something on her person made them angry somehow?

"No, if you look carefully, she's not one bit like Yukari, besides, from the smell of her magic, position of her soul which crystallized outside the body…" Patchouli points at the sapphire on Oriko's collar "She's definitely those so called 'Magical girl' who does enter contract with that little devil."

"Eh… hello…?" Oriko asked, now that there's no threat of getting fired by laser she decided to seize the opportunity. "Who are you people anyway? How can you get into my house? And are you magical girls too?"

The reaction is not what she was expected, she didn't think that the other two girls would quick to unleash another barrage of lasers on her! At least her reflex still good enough thanks to the damn contract to dodged most of it. (Small laser sights locked on her body before the lethal one follow up certainly helped, else she wouldn't have a chance! After all, Laser move at c speed (3) isn't it?) letting the lasers fly past and blow a chunk of concrete out of the wall, the floor and the ceiling of the basement instead.

But Oriko is far from unscratched, one blue laser shot grazed her arm leaving a burn mark and heat on her sleeve, while another pink laser score a direct hit at her ankle, blowing a hole in her dress and nearly clave her leg off if not for the magical protection offered by her magical girl status. But its injury still dropped her to the knee anyway, and now she's a sitting duck since her leg is injured.

"Do not associate us with those sad excuses of a magician like you!" Alice said coldly, her blue eyes flared up with temper. "Those who don't have dedications and hardworking in magecraft don't deserve to be called magician!"

Oriko was taken aback by those words. Her mind racing at the speed of light before cried out in shock. "What are you talking about? Aren't you needed to form a contract with Kyubey before able to use magic at all in the first place? Aren't you lot magical girls?"

At that point the violet haired girl, who name… Patchy maybe? Step in. "Your world certainly able to sustain magic users, although the amount of ambient magic in the air is lacking. And no, not even one of us ever forms such contract before. We're able to use magic because of our hard study, hardworking and dedication like Alice just said earlier." Then her violet eyes suddenly narrowed, leering on Oriko like an angry cat, then turn softer, as if she pities the girl in front of her. "Though I did not resent you as much, considered that your kinds don't know the whole terms of this contract at all… Hmph… Typical deal with the devil that is…"

"If you're talking about I'll become a witch myself then I already know that!" Oriko's statement seems to shock the three intruder a bit. Their widen eyes glance at each other as if asking what should they say, or… what should they do next? And more importantly, what should she do next, against these people who clearly outclassed her in combat and magic and cannot use clairvoyance against…

Before she can decided on the next course of action, Patchy decided to break the silence, her voice now slightly wary and spoke in an inquisitive tone. "So, how did you know it? I doubt that Incubator will give such sensitive information to their 'victims' so easily…?"

"Hey!" it was then that Marisa interrupts Patchouli's interrogation. "I think I heard you said that this's your house right?"

Oriko blink twice, listening to the growling sound that seems to come out of the intruder's stomach, with a pledging look plastered on the black-white face, much to the embarrassment of her friend, who also let out that sound as well.

And thus Oriko decided to ask, albeit hesitantly. "Erm, if you don't mind, let me prepare something for you three to eat okay?" After all, as her father, whom she detested recently, always said, trying to strike a deal with empty stomach might lead to '_hunger before reason._', although her opinion about him just lift up a little bit because how right he was, given the situations before her at this moment, she's not going to forgive him now, not yet.

The three mysterious magic users proceed to whisper among themselves for a few seconds, then the girl in violet, Patchy bow and speak for the whole group. "That'll be appreciated, and I'm sorry for us being hostile toward you because of such a stupid reason."

The answer make Oriko sigh in relieve while trying to lift herself up from the dusty ground. Her hand leaning against the wall with a scorch mark of a misfire laser barrage, and begin to moved out of the basement, but a few steps later, she suddenly feel someone grab her shoulder and lifted some weight out of her injured leg, She look back only to meet with sapphire blue eyes of another blonde magician.

"There, there, since you're injured by our fault, let me help you as an apology then." She stated politely, bowing her head a little as if to apologize what she had done, although her motion is a bit stiff as if she still ready for a sudden aggressive from an injured one.

Oriko just nodded while try her hardest to smile back a bit to ease the tension, at least, this's better than getting blast by beam barrage anyway…

* * *

A tea party in a middle of the night later…

"Well, sorry that I've just these at the moment…" Oriko apologized while other three mysterious magical gi… no, she correct herself, magicians… witch… well, whatever name you used to call magic user, filled themselves with some leftover food in the fridge, which just a half dozen of ham sandwiches she thrown into a microwave, and a cup of Earl grey each on the table in the living room devoid of light except a neon green illuminating from a lamp conjured out of thin air by the violet magician.

During the meals, they had already exchange some stories with each other, which each of them found to be… interesting… if you can get past the interrogation sequence which is not quite friendly at first and bad habit of certain black-white witch who spoke out some random thing out of the blue once in a while. (Like when she explained about using the grief seed to purge the soul gem and she instantly say 'Recharge your mana is it? At least it's not that intimate like that novel I read. What name is it? Fate stay something?' for example.)

For Oriko, the prospect of another world in a different dimension never been anything beyond her wildest fantasy, and yet here it is, three travellers from another parallel world, sitting around the round table with her… Thanks to the mega-powerful witch that has yet to be born will also threaten their world as well as hers. Yes, she knew it's powerful alright, but she never thought that it'll be THIS STRONG!

Oriko has no doubt in their claim, after all it's logical, if there exist another magic systems for human which do not involved turning a girl into what basically a lich and then into a monster later in this world, she was sure that Kyubey would manipulate magical girls under his contract to eliminate them all already, seeing that they're basically opposed his goal of '_getting as many girls into contract to get as much witches as possible to maximize energy gain'_. Even if some of the sects survived, they're still unlikely to rear their head up and around the Kyubey's magical girl, sipping tea, or talking like this, least they get eliminated again, considering that Kyubey has only one modus operandi, and it didn't included _'save earth from destructions at all cost even if you have to team up with your past enemy'_ in it. So even if he know that that monster of a witch will be unstoppable, so what? As long as it filled out his quota of energy, he doesn't care!

She still not sure how can she reach such conclusion given unstable state of her mind not long ago, not to mentioned a few minutes before meeting, she still think of the many way she will die and never thought that this option would turn out like this. Then again, getting beat up by these three might knock some sense into her after all.

While on the other side, the three magicians' expression has soften a little after hearing the situation which Kyubey had taken advantage of and manipulated Oriko's emotions into accepting magical girl contract in the first place. After all, who could blame a young girl, not even reaching 17, to cope with things like your own parent commit suicide out of guilt, whose accusation also shattered her view of the world and her own parental figure forever? Although no one trying to comfort her, it still help her feel a little better to share the problem with other, who wouldn't run away out of disgust or gossip behind her back due to sins of her father.

The violet hair magician, Patchouli Knowledge is her name… put down an empty cup, then started questioning Oriko once more with a softer tone than their 'first encounter' half an hour ago. "So, that's how you saw through Incubator's deception, is it? But I wonder why you don't use your clairvoyance to predict our move and counter? You could've put up a better fight with that ability."

Oriko instinctively rubbing her arm where Patchouli's laser grazed through, damage healed and outfit repaired magically. Yes, she still in her magical girl outfit, no point in de transform just yet, especially in front of strangers like this, not that she afraid that she'll be naked during the sequence (well, she doesn't sure about that anyway. Since it seem like just a split second of transformation to her.), but for precaution.

And then she answers Patchouli's questions. "For some reason I have yet to figure out, my clairvoyance cannot pick up anything you three trying to do even a second before you did at all… All I can see is just…" She trails off, unsure how to put that sensation into word. "Darkness, uncertainty."

Patchouli nodded her head once and says no more, and then it's Alice's turn to ask one of the most important questions. "So, now that you know what our objectives are, will you help us?"

Oriko answer without a second thought. "Yes, I don't see why we shouldn't, considering the witch we're about to face is a threat to everyone. I'll find a room for three of you to rest here, but… I'm sorry that this house is abandoned since that day…" She trailed off, do not wish to recalled such painful memories anymore. Earn a nod of understanding from other three.

"It's fine." Marisa broke the silence, trying to cheer the host up, she quickly add. "We'll just help you clean up first… OW! What is it, Alice?" She rubbed her head where the puppeteer's grimoire just hit.

"You speak of cleaning… while your house is a mess every time I saw it." Alice sighs and stood up, walk into the clearing of the dining room, then muttering something under her breathe before holding her free hand up front, palm facing the floor. Oriko watch with interest, after all, she still eager to see what true magicians, who earned their power through hard working and dedication, is capable of. While the other two magicians just finishing up their midnight food without looking at all.

A magic circle with complex pattern which Oriko couldn't make out a composition of shapes, around 3 meter in diameter, forming around Alice's feet, bath the dimly lit room in neon green color. And from the edge of circle, dozens upon dozens of miniature feminine figures around her knee's height with brown hair, clad in blue dress and white apron, with white dragonfly-like wings stick out of the back some with cleaning tools too big for someone its size to use, slowing rising from the ground up! This took a full quarter of minutes for them to completely get on.

"As you said, Patchouli…" Alice said while she looks at her dolls army, which standing still like statues around her. "Casting spells take longer than usual, not to mention that I can't cast another spell while controlling my dolls either, thanks to low level of residue magic in the air to use, or it because we just get used to, and rely on natural saturation of magic in our land for spell casting far too much. Might have to find some solution to this…"

After address an issue to fellow magicians, the puppeteer flicks her hand once. All dolls surrounding her jerked up as if awake from slumber, then proceed to form up in squad of six scattered out from the room with their squads' equipment, some of them fly… yes… they FLY! Using the dragonfly-like wings on their back, some of them moved up to hold a broom which appeared along with them up and started using it to sweep the floor at the entrance. Much to Oriko's astonishment.

Once the dolls settle out Alice turn toward the house owner and said. "Let me help with the cleaning, Miss Mikuni…"

"Eh… Thank you, miss Mar… ga… troid…" That was all Oriko could reply, having a hard time spelling latter's surname. Then Alice shook her head and answer. "Called me Alice is just fine."

"Meanwhile…" Patchouli spoke up, leaning against the table toward Oriko with a serious expression on her face. "I would like to find samples of these so-called witches as early as possible, since I don't know how much time that we have."

"About a month and a half…" Oriko replied, and add a bit of her thought. "From my clairvoyance in a scenario that you three never came to this world, so it may be useless by now."

And those words has jolt up some memories which she nearly forgot. She whispers to herself. "Kyubey…" then quickly ask three magicians. "I nearly forgot, before you arrived, I tricked Kyubey to leave this place by making him think I've an emotional breakdown and about to turn into a witch…"

"So you say that sad excuse of a rabbit might return, found us, and try to ruins our plan?" Marisa cut the explanation, which Oriko only nodded in return. Then Patchouli suddenly stands up and pulled dozens of paper charms out of nowhere. "I might try creating a bound field around this house to keep the creature from entering…" then she quickly corrects herself. "No, not prevention, it might feel our presence, better be illusion spell with presence concealment spell. So it can keep ordinary people out of the way too. *cough*"

"Will it work?" Oriko ask, doubt in her voice, which is understandable, considered that the creature able to find a girl with emotion distress who live in a middle of nowhere like her, it's justifiable reason.

"Trust me…" Marisa said while waving her hand lazily from the sofa she used as a makeshift bed. ('When did she get it? And when did she lay there?' Oriko thought.) "If a centuries old witch like Patchy can't figure it out, then I doubt anyone in our… no… this world will do it." And she quickly ducks her head down under the sofa, avoiding purple laser that shoot past her by a millimeter then out of the window, with Patchouli annoyingly spoke out, retract her hand back. "Who allow you to reveal a lady's age, huh? *cough*"

"C'mon, only ladies here, what's the point to be embarrass about?" Marisa

Patchouli shakes her head while sitting at the table, her hand is writing something in the paper charm with quill pen that appeared out of nowhere. Violet eyes glance at black-white who climbed back on the sofa with disapproving look. "And do you plan to slack off while I and Alice doing stuff to get this place in proper shape?"

"You two are 'true witch' I'm just ordinary human, and human sleep during night." She reasoned then turns her head toward another 'human' in the room, as if asking for support opinions. "Right? Oriko?"

But before Oriko could answer her, it was then that Alice decided to move next to Marisa and slump down on a chair nearby, glaring at the black-white witch and snorts. "What a lame reason there is, Marisa… you could fly around the forest whole night before (4), did you think any of us will buy that excuse?"

However, Patchouli chooses to interrupt Alice at that moment. "I think it'll be better for her to not running around the house, after all, some of miss Oriko's belonging might… disappeared." Then she shot a mocking smile toward Marisa, who scowled at the comment while mutter. "Will you drop that already, you made it sound like I'm doing nothing but robbing books and scrolls back at our home?"

"Yes, of course." Was the collective reply from two witches. To her dismay, while Oriko, whose magical girl outfit has vanished, replaced by a simple blood red one piece dress, just sit on the table and smiling at the exchange, trying her hardest not to let out a giggle.

It was then that Patchouli decided to pull her back to reality by placing a hand on her shoulder, make her looked back at the violet mage. "You as well, better go to sleep, leave the cleaning and setting up the bound field to both of us…" She glare at Marisa, who decided it would be best to just get some sleep and pulled her hat to cover her face, her broom lay next to the makeshift bed, for a while and then return to the conversation. "Hope you don't mind if this's a bit late, but, please take care of us." Then she bow a little.

Oriko just wave her hand around while answering. "No… not at all, anyway you and Alice should take some rest too." She then stood up prepare to leave and set some room in her house for the guest.

"Don't worry too much about both of us…" Alice said from her couch while shot Oriko a look which make the latter froze in track. "I've to stay awake to control my dolls in cleaning this mess of a house, but it won't be long… don't need to arrange a room for us. Oh, and your rooms is cleaned, my dolls already did, so you can use it now." She added and closed her eyes as if she was meditating.

Then Patchouli repeats her advice once more, hand still scripting paper charms non-stop. "You heard Alice, your room is cleaned, get some rest, we'll follow and find a room for ourselves once this place is really safe and cleaned."

Seeing there's no point to object what the witches said, Oriko slowly move out of the living room. Once in the hallway, she found an army of dolls… Alices' dolls… moving from place to place carrying garbage and junk out of the rooms to dispose of somewhere, while some are dusting the ceiling, mopping the floor, polishing the walls, cleaning her house without getting tried. (Well, they're dolls, they don't get tried.) Judging from the speed and number of the dolls, this house will return to its former glory in 20 minutes tops!

A few minutes later, the grey haired magical girl slumped on her own bed in the dark room, don't care if she's still in normal dress, heck, she don't even pull the blanket which is now cleaned thanks to Alice's dolls to cover herself, her mind's too tired to care.

"Looks like some crazy future awaits me…" She mumbled, stared at the light-blue gem in her hand one last time before lay it down on the pillow next to her, and her consciousness drifted into the dream world not long after that.

* * *

Author Note (1) it cannot predict the interference from alternate universe, considering that human's mind has yet to grasp or able to fully comprehend the concept. Well, I (Author) is kind of added it up, since hey, who want a game breaker anyway? However it might come back after a bit of understanding and hardworking, who know?

The same reason applied to why I used the Marisa/Alice/Patchy team instead of other overpowered characters in Gensokyou. Since at least they don't have something like 'instant kill any living being with thought' or 'fly away from reality' things or that'll be too broken.

(2) There're no canon explanations about why Oriko and Kirika never made appearance in the timeline we saw in anime. One fan theory is that, after the stunt they pulled in Oriko Magica, which took place around timeline 3 and the one in anime (since Homura no longer wear glasses in that manga.), Homura just added a mission 'assassinate Oriko and Kirika ASAP' into the '_to do list_' from then on, so I've go with that theory in this fiction, explaining why Homura would be there.

And when on the subject of those two, Kirika never mentioned when, or where she enter contract, so in this fiction I suggest a theory that Kirika, like Yuma in Oriko Magica, enter contract due to Oriko's meddling (paint a target for Kyubey to go after.), thus in this fiction, Kirika may not make appearance.

(3) c speed or speed of light. Velocity around 300,000 kilometers per second! To put in perspective how fast it is, if a target is 1 meter further away, a laser will hit it in approximately 3.3 nanoseconds after pulling the trigger! Or near instantly.

(4) Reference to Imperishable Night

* * *

And for the power level debate, yes, it's too 'ambiguous' and thus up to fan interpretation. Sorry if I've interpreting it not like what anyone would expect. By the way, who invent the logic that position in stage relates to their power level? (And by extension, their hardness.) Look at subterranean animism… Parsee, or Yuugi anyone? Or Undefined Fantastic Object's Kogasa who grinded herself a dozen or so level for post-game?

PS. Did you see a pattern of Chapter naming yet?


	4. Chapter 3: I wanna be the Magician!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 3: I wanna be the Magician!**

Morning light shine pass through the windows on the face of grey haired girl who lied unmoving on the bed in her own room, sparkling off the blue gem on the pillow reflected into her eyes. Suddenly she groaned, hand rubbing her watery neon-green eyes, while her mind still fuzzing over what transpired last night.

'What a weird dream I had.' Oriko thought, while still lay on the soft bed, not wanting to get out of it anytime soon. 'I dreamt that my father has committed suicide thanks to revelation of his acts during his career. All is lost, I'm ready to die alone in our own abandoned house when I've granted a wish from the small cat-like creature named Kyubey, at the cost of becoming magical girl and fighting a monster called witch, only for the wish to backfire and allow me to saw the truth behind it, I'm the monster, then… then…'

At this point she shake her head, trying to comprehend what happened afterward, understandable considered its absurdity which defied any humanity's knowledge of the 21st century. However, before she could think things through, a sound of someone knocking the door of her room quickly bring her back to reality, as she gaze upon the closed door with sleepy eyes.

A few seconds later, a sound of a girl is calling her from the door. "Oriko, it's already half past eight in the morning, better get up soon or you'll miss the breakfast!"

It takes around half a minute for Oriko to process the words and realized that she, or her father, never hired servants this young in their manor, from the sound of that voice, not to mention that it's unusual for servants to wake her considered that her father doesn't like spoiled brats. Thus it's natural that she turn toward the door, while sleepily asks someone behind the door. "Wait, erm, who are you there?"

Silence…

Before she could decide whether to ask again or go to the damn door and open it to face whoever there, the girl at the other side speaks again. "Did you forget already? I'm Alice, a magician whom you asked to stay over along with my friends due to our mutual goals of destroying witches and stop the death of both of our worlds."

At those words Orikos' whole memories of last night come back with a vengeance, her eyes open wide, quickly sit up on her own bed while her hand slam on the pillow to push herself up, bump her soul gem up into her lap. While still feeling dizzy, her vision is now clear, once look down on her own self, the harsh reality came back to hit her that. 'everything that happened is not a dream!' Just one look at her clothes, which is a dress instead of usual pajama, the soul gem, and the state of her clean room, which seem some of her childhood memories like dolls or useless toys already disappeared.

She stops her thought, quickly took her soul gem in her hand, which suddenly shape shift into a sapphire ring on her finger, Oriko proceed to the door then pulled it open. There, standing in the 2nd floor hallway, is the seven color puppeteer in her light blue dress, a white mantle and black boots as she was seen yesterdays' night, as if she didn't take a shower and change her clothes at all. (Well, the same could be said to Oriko herself too.)

Hands on her hip, blue eyes narrowed down when looking back at Oriko, while her nose seems to sniff something out of the air, Alice decided to speak. "Miss Mikuni, you didn't take a shower last night?" It isn't a question, but a statement, which Oriko could only nod since, well, it's the truth after all.

Seeing that the landlord (technically, since this's Mikunis' estate, and last landlord just died.) is not in position to do anything unless getting herself wash up first, Alice simply sidestep, let the awake yet a bit dizzy Oriko to pass through toward the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, Oriko return to the living room, her face cleaned, her dress changed from the blood-red one to the deep blue dress with white collar, which is the only another one dress she has left, aside from school uniform which she might never able to wear again, considered that they're going to expelled her because of her fathers' deeds and the facts that she didn't have any parents figure to take care on, after all, she has yet to reach a majority until next year.

Although the law called for a child without parents to have a caretaker to take care of them until majority, but for Oriko is a special case, just like those children of the criminals, to put it simply, _no one want to have anything to do with someone related to a criminals of this caliber_! Even the child didn't commit the crime him/herself, such as a prejudice of the society.

Thus, living by herself would be hard after these three are gone, but that's assuming they can stop the super witch that'll destroy the world from come to be in the next month, so worry about that first is a priority, no point in thinking about it now.

From her position at the door, Oriko smell something and look around only to find a dish of rice and omelet laid on the round table which three witches and one magical girl (herself.) talk last night, the violet haired witch and the black white are nowhere to be found, only Alice remained sitting on the sofa knitting what appears to be a very elaborate dolls' clothes, and on the same coach also lay a wooden parts of doll.

While Oriko's not sure what to say first, the puppeteer seems to notice her presence, as she's the first one to strike a conversation without looking at her. "Please, eat it while it still hot, that's all we have, well, all _you_ have in the fridge that we can scramble up to last the next two days, though I prefer that we have to get something more tomorrow from whatever market equivalent of this world… and it has to be cheap or we won't last except finding a job, which take away times to patrol, prepare and fighting."

That's the signal for the grey haired girl to sit down and took a bite to sate her hunger which she felt surprisingly more unbearable than when she just woke up. Once the meal's in her mouth, she notes that it's quite delicious despite how simple it was, "it's good… did you cook it?" she claimed while looking at the puppeteer as if to ask if she was the one who cook it.

As on cue, Alice stop knitting, looks up and let out a small smile while confirm Orkios' suspicion. "Thanks that you like it, and yes, I cooked it, this's the skill required when one's to live alone, away from the society after all." She didn't added the facts that Patchouli cannot cook since she's basically lived in a huge mansion that has maids at her beck and call, while Marisa's able to cook, but her cooking taste's just 'passable' (Are you expect someone who can't even take care of their own mess of a house to have enough dedication about cooking?) so it fallen to the puppeteers' duty when it comes to taking care of each other's' stomach, by voting last night when Oriko is out in the dream world that is.

At that comment Oriko can't suppress the urge to ask a somewhat sensitive question for the magician, not that she know it's one yet. "You lived alone? Just how old are you anyway, wasn't you live with Patchouli and Marisa?"

The puppeteer/magician blink twice at the question, then her blue eyes narrows down, then shook her head a bit. "No, no, normally we three just lived with ourselves. After all, magicians who achieve their power through hard work like us just don't want to share our knowledge with other who doesn't have dedication. So we all isolated ourselves in a far, far away land."

"Then how you three get together like this if every magician in your world kept everything they know to themself?" Oriko asks, eyes widen at the prospect of guarding knowledge ones' acquired, in the information age which all knowledge is shared around the world like this, it's hard to believe that magicians, albeit another world magicians, still acts like that.

But it looks like Alice, despite a social awkward herself, still have some knowledge about subtle meaning that other doesn't want to ask directly thanks to associating herself with Marisa and Patchouli, especially the former who like to make friends around the Gensokyou, and so she guesses the meaning and hit the spots dead on. "One has to proves oneself that they're worthy enough of our attention, knowing that they have courage, dedication, determination, to not back on or misuse what we taught them, then we'll be more open to those. And three of us… respects, those aspects of each of us… we know each other long enough to know… that each of us has those."

The last part seems to make Alice blush a bit and also speak in quite lower voice than other as if she wasn't sure that what she said is true, but Oriko did not noticed.

Oriko nodded, after all, the first phase Alice spoke to her last night before things settle down is along that line too. Meanwhile, it also makes her looked down on herself. "Sorry if I let you down by associate with me, if I only had such a strong personality, I might not fall for such petty contract."

Alice waved her hands and chuckle a little as if to deny such deprecation. "No, no, we're at fault too to condemn you as _'get magic through cheating and not hard working'_ too. We don't know the situation… so…" then she trailed off, her face redden a bit, not sure what to speak next. Thus the grey haired girl decided to break the silence.

"That's good to hear… wait, where're the other two?" Oriko nearly forget that there're two more guests in her house, but never seen since she's awake. Where did they go?

"They're in your library, and before you ask, don't worry that Marisa will try to steal anything of worth from there." Alice quickly answers, since at least it'll get her out of the awkwardness they caused. "…We're a long long way from our home, and the method to travel here is severely limited."

"I'd hate to ask, but then how you three come here in the first place?" Oriko ask in surprise, after all, they don't elaborate in the chat last night about how they can travel between alternate universes, so she just summed up as they're using their magic to get here.

Alices' face seems to darken a bit when thinking about that, then she speak with a slight edge in her voice, indicating that she doesn't like what happened one bits. "Back at our home, there's an ancient being who guard the boundary into our world." Well, Gensokyou can be view as such anyway, just a very small one. "It was she who has the power to use dimension 'travel magic' and the one who send us on this quest, since she herself is bounded by the law of the barrier thus cannot leave it." Well, more like 'too lazy to acts.' Yet it's still the commonly known facts that Yukari loved the world she has parts in creating so much that this can be seen as truth anyway.

Oriko, who just finished the meal and prepare to take the dish to wash promptly stopped by one of the flying gothic looking doll which Alices send out to clean the house last night took it away from her and proceed to the wash basin. While its master stood up, the cloth she knitted stored up in some form of hammerspace, walk toward her. "Leave the mundane shore to my dolls, now we better go to the library, we have much to do."

Turn out the trips to her house library proved unnecessary, once they entered the main hall in front of the house, a quarreling sound can be heard at the front door, thus magician and the magical girl turn their head to see what's happening, only to find that the other two magicians they seek were at the door, black-white one scratching her own head, one hand holding a broom, while the unmoving great library is holding a paper charm in one hand, while another holding a book, needless to say, both of their face seems unpleasant.

As the two walk closer Marisa just yelled out. "We should have tried that attraction charms at full power, I insist that we all could handle it should the unexpected happen, C'mon Patchy, we can do this and you know it! Jeez, just how many times we three are teamed up together already?"

Patchouli didn't back down one bit, she fiddle the paper charm in her hand without speaking a word, which has some weird writing on it that give Oriko a bad feeling, heck, even her soul gem on her finger seems to glow a little when she's getting close! And it's definitely NOT A WITCH!

Then it seems that the duo has noticed the arrival of their friends, so Patchouli turn toward Alice, well, seems she's delaying answer because she wait for a reinforcement? Who know? But no matters why the violet haired magician in the violet nightgown-like robe tell her fellow magician directly. "I'm going to use magic charm I invented to draws out a witch toward our location. But Marisa here seems to think that we should amplify the magic to draw out more witches than we needed."

"Hey! We're going to fight the super all-powerful witch that'll come in the next month anyway, why not let see what they're made of first, not to mentioned that how can we know it'll work anyway?" Marisa still tried to reason.

However, their conversation seems to strike something in Oriko mind, and thus she quickly step in to stop the quarrel and ask. "Wait, wait, Patchouli, I don't think it's a good idea when you've a bound field surrounded this house to hide us all from Kyubey and other people. Drawing witches here might result in magical girls to assault into our base, isn't it?"

At those words, Patchouli let out a small smile while calmly explain. "I've already thought of that, thus the charm…" she put the paper charm out in front of them. "…Will emitting a signal, well, an emulated brainwave pattern of a depressed male humans far and wide to lure witches in."

"Huh?" That's all Oriko could say, since she still unable to make the connection about what Patchouli meant, prompt the one week magician to expand her explanation. "Our bound field able to keep human from noticing us, that's for sure since we already have a data on them. While Kyubey, since he'll likely come after someone with magical potential… I think you should know the reason right… Oriko?"

Yeah, it made sense when she thought about it a bit. The stronger the magical girl are, the more powerful witches from will be, and that mean more energy release from transformations. Patchouli could saw understanding enlighten on her face so she continue. "…thus we hide the magical energy from spreading out from this area and it'll be fine, Kyubey won't come here. But this bound field is not design to stealth us from witches."

Suddenly Alice seems to spot a flaw in the plan thus she quickly asks with a worried voice. "Wait, Patchouli, if the witches gathered here, are they'll draws other magical girls here as well? Not to mention that, when there're no other magical signals around here, one might assume that this area is devoid of competition for grief seeds wasn't it?"

At the word 'grief seeds', the other three stiff a bit trying to control their minds from wander off the topics toward someone. Of course, the term 'grief seeds' has been made known to the magician of Gensokyou thanks to Orikos' explanation last night, leaving them to seethe with rage against Yukari, who, did not told them everything that deems important before their departure again! Thus the more reasons to storm Mayohiga after the quest ends.

Patchouli recovers her cool in seconds and nod at Orikos' reasoning. "It's possible, however I think that if we can eliminated them fast enough the magical girls wouldn't waste their precious energy to get here. Speaking of which…" Patchouli suddenly change subjects her violet eyes glance at sapphire blue gem on the grey haired girls' ring "I hope that we can get enough of them to both purify your soul, and also for research."

"That's why I tell you to increase the power to attract more witches." Marisa, who's surprisingly quiet, quickly grabs the chance to supports her opinion, only for Alice to whack her head with the grimoire. "And what's the plan to deal with them when they showed up? We never encounter one before, only… second hand information, how can we know we're able to handle multiple at once?"

"C'mon, the more powerful they are, the more experience we gain." Marisa replies back, hand resting on the door knob ready to move out to the garden. "And the more level we got, which mean subsequent encounter with witches will be easier. And once we hit the final boss we won't have as much problem as we grind the normal ways."

"You're not making any sense. And this's not a danmaku duel you know? We can die here, they can die here. And that mean we must be more careful else we'll be six feet under the earth long before facing your 'final boss'." Alice snapped annoyingly at the black white statements. Which Patchouli also shared the same thoughts.

"But I agree with Marisa on this one." Oriko decided to add her thought to the group, causing three magicians to look at her inquisitively, prompt her to explain more. "From my clairvoyance, the witch that we're about to face has a power that dwarf any witches that magical girls ever seen in centuries, if…" She paused, her fists shaking as if she was a bit afraid about what she's about to say. "If I can't handle just several witches at once, if I did not train at all and rely on just innate magic power of contracts like every single magical girls so far, what chance do I have against that in the future… and… and,** If I'm going to use magic properly, then fears, ignorance and stupidity must have no place in my mind!" **She practically screamed at the last sentence.

Silence reign the main hall of the Mikuni household after the now mistress of the house finished spoke out her heart, Patchouli's blinking, not sure what to say, Marisa's jaw dropped, loss of a word, while Alice's bright blue eyes lock on the Oriko's neon-green, a calculating looks on her face.

After staring each other for five minutes, suddenly, Alice grabs the paper charm out of Patchouli's hand, much to the latter's surprise, and slowly pouring down her own magic into it to supercharging the spells contained inside.

"Hope you've got what it takes to be a True Magician, Oriko Mikuni… Those you've said sometime blur the line between the good and bad…" Alice decided to speak at last. While walk out of the house toward the rose garden, forcing others to move out as well. "Might as well make this a test, shall we?" She said to her fellow magicians as a statement, not questions.

"As long as it's something challenging, I agree." Marisa answer with a smirk, quickly darts out into the garden, broom and Mini-Hakkero ready in hands. While Patchouli looks back and forth between the other magicians and the only magical girl of the group, then sigh, and summon a book in her hand without saying anything, then move into the sunny daylight a bit reluctantly.

The rose garden of Mikuni household, as the rest of the house, now had nearly return to its former glory thanks to legions of dolls that working non-stop last night. The overgrown vine, stem, leaf and weed were rooted out and disposed. Lawn and bushes trimmed, only thing missing was the blooming roses, thanks to have no one taking care of them for nearly a month until last night, the plants cannot bloom any flowers due to lacks of nutrients and water.

Across the garden stood a tall metallic fence surrounding the area, marking the end of their boundary… the household boundary… at 9 in the morning like this, it's natural to see some people walking down the streets, cars and vehicle passing by, yet one thing Oriko could see is that, even when four of them are in clear sight toward the street, none of them seems to notices presence of the four girls who's currently walking in the house of the corrupted politician, dressing in a fancy outfits (Only in case of Patchouli and Marisa, Oriko herself didn't transform yet, while Alice's dress and looks could be passed up for some Western foreigner.) at all they just glance through them as if they weren't there.

It took Oriko a full minute to realize that the bound field Patchouli had placed last night is in effect and prevent them from noticing activities in Mikuni household at all. Something she really appreciated, considered what they would thought about her now with her father's status like this.

Once they reached a clearing at the center of the garden, Alice throws the paper charm up, which suddenly catch fire, bursting into a bright purple flames consume it, turning to ashes and ripple pulse of magic that scatter out in every directions, pass through the bound field without anyone notices the abnormalities, inside or outside.

"Now we prepare ourselves, and wait..." Alice muttered, then the same as last night, she quickly summon the dolls, but unlike the last night, now they had red hair, clad in orange dress and also appeared much faster, taking only 5 seconds for a whole battalion of 24 dolls, all armed to the teeth, half of their number with Long rapiers and Kite shields, Longbows and arrows for the other half, to completely materialized from the ground up.

Once the summoning of a small army is completed, Alice waved her hands up front again while calling out. "Shanghai… Hourai…" Suddenly two magic circles appear on the ground next to her, from it come forth two dolls which are bigger than the lesser one she summoned beforehand, standing almost to their master's hip. Each is nearly identical to one another, blonde hair with red ribbon, blue eyes and white apron, the difference they bore is that one's eyes looks emotionless, while the other looks more, lively? And their dress, the lively one has a black dress with white mantle over the shoulder and a razor on her right hand, while the emotionless one wear deep purple dress, held a rifle in her hands and a bullets and gunpowder flask strapped to the belt like a musketeer of the 17th century. Two of them jerk their head up at their master as if awaiting orders.

Then Alice, who also look down on them with affections shout the command. "Shanghai, take command of the melee dolls, phalanx formation, and face the front door. Hourai took the Bow squad, form up ranks behind Shanghai!"

"Yes, Master! It'll be done in a flash!" "Or-der ac-know-ledged, com-men-cing…" Was the reply from Shanghai and Hourai respectively. Then the cheerful Shanghai rush up to the rapier-shield dolls and form a mockery of ancient Greek formation all facing toward the front door of the lawn, IN MID AIR! While the emotionless Hourai float into the formation of longbow dolls, loading her rifle with a ramrod while at it, also in mid-air as her cousin's formation.

"Show off…" muttered Marisa while Oriko stare at the commotion, too shock to say anything. Marisa then comments again when the puppeteer shot her a glare. "But creative, is it? Shanghai and Hourai as support commanders to control your dolls army in your stead, so you can free up some thought and concentration necessary to process more magical power to support them or yourself."

Alice's glare softens down a bit but she still answers her friend with a little huff. "Yes, thanks to this world's low ambient magic. So, how's your solution? Else your spells will cast slower, Marisa."

"Apply more power…" Was all the answer she's got. While Alice is facepalm herself and Patchouli who stayed cleared out of the conversation, meditating to concentrate, Marisa decided to awake the only magical girl in the group by slapping her shoulder. "There, there, if you're shock by just seeing this, how are you supposed to fight when your enemies pull some crazy magic on you? And you should prepare yourself now, they're coming, I can feel it."

That made Oriko berated herself for such action that might make three magician dropped opinion on her. But on the other hand, getting warned in non-life threatening situation like this is better than when on the battlefield where it might get her killed already. Thus she smile back at the black-white witch and apologize, then quickly transform herself, brace for battle as the rest of the magicians doing. No one saying anything to another except Marisa who answer the apologies from Oriko by telling her that she still just a newbie, and as long as one is not a prodigy or genius, newbie will and always made mistakes, so they're not mad or disappoint at her for now.

A statement, that help lift up the grey-haired magical girl a little bit.

It didn't take more than a couple of minute for the witches to arrive at the bait they placed. Sudden change of atmosphere of sunny daylight into a cloudy in a blink of an eye herald the coming of lots of shadowy orbs dropping from the sky sinking into the rose garden's ground.

Then the rose garden vanished, replaced by an endless grey bricks ridden floor, with a cartoon looking cloud forming on the sky blocking out the sun. the building of Mitakahara city and Kasamino's gone, replaced by dumb blue wallpaper… well, it's the closest things that could describes these kind of background. But what surprised them are the things that emerge from the ground, shooting at high speed at the four, it shaped familiar to certain thing.

"**What? Apples?**" Was all that Alice said while she sidestep to dodge incoming fruits that defy the laws of physics by flying toward her from every direction, while Shanghai order her dolls to form a porcupine around Hourai and longbow dolls, shields raised to block off the onslaught while Hourai order longbow dolls to shoot several fruits down, which exploded in a fiery display each time it hit arrows or shields despite those arrows did not contain any explosive! Telling that contacting with one will be lethal from the explosion, well, for normal human who don't have magical reinforced body anyway. "This doesn't make any sense at all!" the puppeteer snapped with a frustration at non-stop attack from the furious fruits and shoot a laser out of her hand, blowing a chunk of them that's currently steering toward Oriko out of the sky.

"**They're more like a giant cherry to me**!" Marisa yelled back while use the broom to swatted four red fruits down embedded to earth as if swatting a fly, while dodging everything throws at her without much effort. Which prompt Alice to shot a look that seems to speak "Are you seriously joking in a time like this?" and get back to surviving an onslaught again.

Next to her not ten meter aways, Patchouli, who hovering a meter from ground, summoned human-size revolving metallic gears that hover in satellite around her, shearing and shredding anything that dare to came too close, forming a near perfect barricade, while herself closed her eyes, appears to be meditating, or sensing something, as her face seems to frown deeper by the minutes.

Oriko is the only member of the group that have a hard time evading the gravity defying giant cherries, as Marisa called them, even with the three magicians' help from time to time, which is understandable, since she became magical girl just a day, not having experience in life threatening situation up until now, unlike the rest of the team who face something worse before.

However, even with these shortcomings, she tried her best nevertheless, and after ten minutes of constant dodging, tossing marbles to detonate furious fruits to create opening to slip past, Oriko feels that she need less marbles to plows an opening now that she's able to use clairvoyance a little faster to find an opening in the unseen enemy's assault.

"Grr… this's not getting anywhere!" Marisa snapped with frustration, while back-flipped to dodge an apple that grazed through her dress. "I can't see the shooter anywhere! And they don't stop and give us an opening to chant spells either!" Then she shoots a star shaped magic bullet toward Oriko, grazing her bishop-like hat by a millimeter and slammed into ten giant cherries which came right at her in a blind spot while she was busy spinning on one leg like a gymnast to dodge the attack. While Shanghai and Hourai formation stood firm even after five minutes of constant attack, only burn marks on their shields and no noticeable damage registered on themselves or their personnel yet.

It was then that the unmoving great library decided to break her own silence and speak in a little surprised yet not horrified voice, her eyes open wide at the revelation she sensed. **"It was absorbing the ambient energy from the baiting charm!"**

"Speak in Japanese please, Patchy, we don't have time for riddle right now!" Marisa quipped, while shooting a counter barrage of star-shaped magic missiles, creating a huge wall of projectiles that stop every single red fruit that barred her way in track with ease.

However, before Patchouli could answer, a loud police-like siren rings through the air, at first, Oriko thought that the bound field somehow had broken and the authority noticed the commotion, until she remembered what Kyubey had explained about witch barrier. 'Normal people cannot see witch barrier unless they're magic capable!' Thus that option is ruled out, only one remains, and that's the siren is whatever effect the witch barrier had!

They don't have to wait too long, the apples/giant explosive cherry ceased their attack and disappeared during this time, much to Oriko's relieve. However she or the three magicians do not let their guard down just yet. Considered the background suddenly flash red light with some kind of poster appeared on it. But before they could make out what it said, the brick floor they're standing give away and crumble, revealed a pitch black bottomless pit… no, if you looks carefully, it's gleaming with an endless rows upon rows of metallic spikes that's stand below them, ready to impale anything falling into it!

Oriko descend down in a free fall, having no innate ability to fly nor enough time to learn, she nearly scream out when the black white witch swoop down on her with her broom, grabbing her hands and spare her the fate of certain doom.

"Eh, thanks…" Oriko said shortly while Marisa helps her pulling herself up on the flying broom while Marisa jumped out of the broom herself, much to the magical girl's surprise that Marisa could fly without broom as well as other two!

"Wait, then why you have broom in the first place if you can fly yourself?" Oriko asks while righting herself on the flying broom she gave to her.

"**Just for the completed image of the witch, that's all!"** replied the black-white witch who now floating next to Alice, Patchouli and dolls formation. "I only let you borrow this once, next time, you're going to fly on your own! Oh don't make that face, if I, the ordinary human, can get this far by determination and hard works alone, then you who already has magic, well, deal with the devil, can too!" She quickly add when Oriko suddenly look around for platform to fly down and stands when Marisa mentions she will have her broom back.

"You're going to teach me?" Oriko ask hesitantly.

Marisa reply with a shrug. "Yes we are! Considered what you've displayed so far, it's… shameful that the devil's contract let you do magic just that much. Tsh… throwing magic constructs marble, I can't understand how the hell your predecessor fight witches on their own if magical girls of this world could have only weak attack like that."

"You forget that these witches we face now was empowered by ours meddling right? Not to mention we haven't seen other magical girls other than Oriko, and she's the new recruit at that!" Patchouli countered, which Marisa choose to ignore, well, not quite, since the last one of them decided to shout, stopping her from saying anything.

"Cut it already Marisa, next wave will be gunning for us in any minutes now!" Alice snapped, and with good reason, since the sign in front of them now flash yellow and red, with English texts appeared on it. Oriko, who recovered from initial shock about the prospect of learning new magic, which even normal human can, quickly read it out loud for everyone to hear.

"**Warning, a big enemy is approaching at full throttle! According to the data it's identified as **_**'Butsutekkai'**_**!?"** She blinks twice, as if thinking that she read it wrong, but the texts still the same, she didn't bother to read the last line though, since it composed of only gibberish that made no sense at all.

She's not the only one that confused with what she read though, even Marisa, Alice, Patchouli and even Shanghai all show sign of confusion on their face. "Is that the name of the witch? What the hell is that name? Are you sure you read that right?" Marisa asks.

Then, the texts and sigh post disappeared before Oriko could fly Marisa's broom closer to look, replaced by black circle that started spawning around the group. From the front one metallic, robot-like creature around 10 meter tall slowly rises up in the air. It's dinosaur-like head sported huge bulb-like eyes which cover one-third of facial feature, another is oval shaped hole that started spewing gigantic red-tipped white missile at them. Its body is just as big as its head, have no arms, only one metallic tail and leg that's not moving at all. On top of its head is an antenna like structure with red tip, and one 2 meter tall old man in black cape standing on top.

The right side, next to the dolls formation, a giant green man with a body of wrestler in a red boxer and red skintight boots stands up. Red eyes on the bearded face stared on the girls with raw killing intent, and he roared like a wild animal, readied his fists while slowly walking toward them.

To the left is not looking good for the girls either, there stood a black skinned man with boxing gloves for hands, he wore black boxing pants and started using footwork-boxing to slowly dance close to them in zigzag pattern, while his hand cover his chin in a boxing guard stance.

Last but not least, behind them where the Mikuni household used to be, appeared a machine western style dragon forming up from huge orange blobs that combined and morphed into it. Next to the dragon is… some sort of UFO with a white clown face painted on it and a propeller below, while the hatch on top has been push open, reveal a pilot, well, _pilots_, one bald old man with grey mustache and huge eyebrow in a white lab coat and red necktie. Next to him two more dragons poke their head out of the UFO's hatch. The fat one wears a crown on its head, while the other one seems to have a spiked turtle shell strapped to its back. And the last pilot is a cartoony looking human male, with brown afro-lookalike hair, red tattered cape and blue shirt holding a comedic looking gun in hand.

And all of these are looks like some kind of cartoon, well, more like something straight out of the 8 bits computer graphic than a real thing.

Oriko's blood ran cold from the sight of the things around them.** "Are you kidding me? Nine witches, in the same barrier!?"(1)**

"I think they're witches that absorbed residue magic from our baiting charm earlier and… for lack of better term… evolved…" Patchouli calmly analyzing the situation, while inside her mind seems to fascinated that what Alice done will result in something like this. "I didn't thought about this possibility before, sure as Yukari said, if one of this get to our world, it'll be disastrous." Well she left out the part that Miko can deal with them out since the other already knew that.

"Witch!?" Marisa screams while pointing at the bearded green skinned giant that closing on them menacingly. "Calling that thing witch is a joke! They're clearly GUYS! Seriously, what kind of monster is this? That's your fault Alice, to power up that charm!"

"Don't blame me about that! Who'll know this will happened? Well, just stop asking and start shooting already! Shanghai, Hourai, Fire at will! Formation not bothers!" Alice shot back while quickly perform a barrel roll to dodge hail of fireballs that the dragon and UFO tossed at from behind, while other also scatter out, narrowly evade the giant egg-shaped white missile from the flying metal dinosaur and flaming apple/giant cherry from the caped man on top of it.

That signal all the 'witches' in the area to enter the fray, and thus the airborne firework begins…

Marisa spinning in mid-air, while frowning slightly when she think about letting someone borrow her broom earlier, since it means that she can't use some of her spells which incorporate broom in the execution. But still, it can't be help, else Oriko would die since she can't fly to avoid getting squished by those giant feet, one she may dodge, but this many? And spike pit? Not a chance.

Cutting her thought when one fireball grazed her side, Marisa release a barrage of star projectiles at the boxing black man, who just shots a right uppercut and left hook to stop dozens of Patchouli's Minivan-size pink crystal missiles, thus letting his head, chin and mouth open for attack. Although most of the projectiles slammed around his body doing absolutely nothing, some scores direct hit at his white teeth, causing the 'witch in form of boxer' to flinch, stumble back trying to regain his balance, while multiple trails of flame dropping down from his mouth instead of saliva telling that he's hurt, at least.

However, before Patchouli, who also focus on the boxer could follow up with another attack, she hand to divert attention toward Alice, who currently taking on the UFO and green mech-dragon by herself, and could only dodging their attack, the dragon now melted into many huge blobs flying in all direction, trying to slam on her, while the UFO shooting giant bowling balls, yellow energy barrage and fireball that explode and shower the area with napalm, and trying to ram her with its massive body, not to mentioned the gigantic egg-shaped missiles from the mech-dinosaur things that fire rapidly and randomly all over the place from its big gaping mouth, at least the missiles were all slow and easy to dodge… mostly…

Of course, Alice has no problem evading their attacks, which rather pathetic and easy to dodge compared to what they normally fought in Gensokyou. However, because the attacks are less dense doesn't mean it's not lethal. In fact, it's more lethal than duel in Gensokyou, considered that they attack to kill. Not to mention this's the first time they fight witches, and by extension, in a 'fight to the death' situation, she's nervous a little and not trying anything risky like attacking back until she completely analyzed all their arsenals first.

But no matter what reason is, her fellow witch will not stand idly and watch she struggle. And thus Patchouli waves her hand in Alice's direction, three dozen hand-sized purple magic circles forming around purple haired witch, humming with power while she shouts. "Alice! incoming Non-directional Laser!" And a second later, all circles glowed and fire a stream of purple lasers that Oriko saw yesterday, but now with much more power, and more beams. Half of them shots aim straight toward the molten form of the green mech-dragon, although the shot did no visible damage to the thing at first, it still force them to back off and reform when laser, which curve in mid-air to avoid enemy's attempt to intercept and Alice, strike true on their target from every directions.

In the meantime, the other half of Patchouli's shots bounce off the surface of giant bowling ball or curve mid-flight to score a direct hit on the driver hatch of the clown faced UFO that just released the giant metal ball seconds ago, penetrated it. A loud boom can be heard when the UFO exploded from the inside out. Shattered remains, one afro-man and three small black orb-like object the size of a finger with pointy ends fallen down toward the spike pit below. No remains of the old lab coated man and two other dragons to be seen, but considered they're witches bodies constructed out of magic, it's understandable to not leave corpse behind.

"Wow, one down! Four more to go!" Marisa let out a victory cry, but her celebration was short lived, since there're still more enemies on the battlefield, and they're certainly not pleased with what happened, well, if the lasers from giant robot dinosaur things that grazed her hip and the flaming apples that shot near her head are any indication.

The mech-dinosaur and caped man are currently engaged with Oriko, who somehow managed to discover that she could use the gigantic egg-shaped missiles it fired as a platform, hell, they even have extended platform on top of them, not a round shaped as expected from missile at all! And the black cape man who once on top of its antenna now stand on one of them, shooting flaming apples at her. "Take this Marisa, I think I can stand on these for a while." She shouts while throwing a broom at Marisa, then quickly duck to evade another barrage of flaming fruits, which the shooter disappeared in a pillar of light seconds afterward, leaving no room to counterattack.

Marisa grabbed her broom with pleasure. Send a thanking glance at Oriko one more time, and then shot straight toward her fellow magicians to help fighting a battle against boxing man, green mech-dragon who's now has smoke come out of every joints on the body showing that Patchouli's non-directional laser indeed leave some damage, and the afro-head man who get knock off the UFO earlier, now grew to the size of sky scrapper and start shooting barrage of orange energy attacks from his eyes at them, while shooting a spike from his mouth. (Maybe his teeth, but how it regrow this fast?) and also homing, white energy ball-things that slowly chase them around, however is not hard to dodge when they all in the air.

Meanwhile, Shanghai and Hourai teamed up against the giant green wrestler, Hourai and her longbow dolls start raining down arrows on his muscular body while scatter out of formation to dodge his punch and spinning attack, while Shanghai and her rapier dolls use their shield to intercepts some lesser stray shots from the other battle nearby, trying to deflect it toward something of worth. However, their effort on the wrestler proves futile as arrows and bullets dinged off the enemy's muscular body as if a wood hitting a metal wall, only serve in annoying the wrestler, but still a success since it still able to keep one enemy off their master's and master's friend's back by posing themselves as a bait… bait which giant fists, blue fireballs from mouth, knees, and _spinning piledriver _of their enemy failed to hit these agile dolls at all.

Oriko look around the aerial battlefield for a second on her platform, but that prove to be a mistake that the caped man quickly exploit by teleporting next to her, prepare to unleash a point blank fruit barrage, but thanks to the loud noise he made when materialize, Oriko quickly rolled on the platform avoiding flaming red fruits by a millimeter. Then she throws her marbles at him, which score direct hit to no effects on his cape. Seeing that surprise attack failed, caped man teleport again, leave the girl on a platform which starting to explode!

The grey haired magical girl waste no time in rushing toward the edge of the platform-missile thing, instinctively pouring magic into her legs and jumps, souring nearly ten meter in the air and landed on another missile the dinosaur fired out, while the one she was on earlier exploded, sending shockwave that knock off Patchouli's aims for finishing blow that prepared for the black boxer again! Causing the purple witch to mutter a curse word under her breathe while dodging an uppercut that get too close to comfort and find a chance to chant another spells.

The explosion also throws off Marisa's and Alice's attack as well, Alice's laser hit the giant afro-man on the nonexistence nose doing nothing except give it a scorch marks (thanks in part of not using full power shot.), while Marisa's biggest star projectile (and also strongest power.) that hide among smaller one for distraction and boxed in the green mech-dragon who trying to dodge them all, hit its mouth at a wrong angle and bounce off before exploded in the air without doing any damage.

"Nothing is easy…" Oriko mumble with slight frown and guilty at what her fight has caused her allies, no, friends, to miss an opportunity to finish off their enemies, and then quickly regain her balance on the giant missile when the caped man appeared on her platform, ten meter away. Brushing his cape aside, reveal a nice looking black suit he wore beneath, and… a Moon!?

"**Here is TRUE POWER!"** The man yelled and released the Moon, which proceed to catch on fire while rolling toward Oriko in a painfully slow pace, thus she quickly use that opening to toss a dozen or so marbles in her hands at his head before he could teleport away like many times earlier. But also, she has to duck again to avoid laser from that huge eyes of mech-dinosaur thing who gratefully support her with this platform, albeit an explosive one that she need to jump away time to time…

"**Play time is OVER!"** the caped man shouts in an angry tone after those marbles exploded on his face, then he summoned two purple brain-like object from two pillar of light that erupt around him before he teleported away again. Oriko was thinking of intercepting the painfully slow purple things when the missile she stood on seems to start countdown again, thus she make another run for the next rockets. 'Glad that the mech-dinosaur-witch thing don't get a clue about this.' Oriko thought while jump out of the doomed missile.

"Yeah, you're right, I grow tire of this too…" Marisa seems to hear the caped man's boast, and thus she bust out her octagon shaped box while riding on the broom avoiding stray shots that deflected from dolls' shield and let them crashed into the green mech-dragon, follow up by Patchouli's fireball sending it on a spiral way downward when it's wings exploded and lose balance. "Let's end this, Alice, Patchy!"

Seeing mini-Hakkero which seems to radiate power out of the black-white hand pointing at the giant afro-man, two other magicians quickly fly around, baiting the boxing black man, who now sports two or three missing teeth and lots of nasty cuts line on body thanks to Patchouli's metal blades, to move toward the giant afro-man, while Shanghai and Hourai seems to have some success, if those many burn marks and arrows on the green wrestler's angrier face, and its' double effort to kill the little pests, is any indications.

However Oriko never has a free time to looks at their teamwork, since she still has her hands full with problems to worry about, namely, caped man and mech-dinosaur. Who's now double their effort to put her six feet under as same as those that fighting her newfound friends.

"**Here is True Power!"** The caped man now appeared behind her back, cape lifted, prepare flaming apples barrage, while the mech-dinosaur loomed over close on her front, eyes glowing with energy, ready to shoot its eye beams.

"Like hell I'll die here!" Oriko yelled, jumping over the caped man's head while sending marbles at the giant machine-dinosaur in the moment caped man fires his flaming apples on front, missed her entirely. Then she quickly dash out of the firing line of eye laser as fast as she can.

Not a second later, a loud explosion can be heard when the laser hit the caped man dead on, smoke erupted around the ground zero prevent her from seeing anything, not that she has a time to do so when she's trying to balance herself from the shockwave, then a second explosion follows when Oriko's marbles detonated off the dinosaur-eyes, shattered it into tiny pieces of glass and debris falling down its face.

Like Marisa earlier, she has no time to celebrate, the missile she's on started to explode, and worse, since the mech-dinosaur didn't fire next missile thanks to her attack, she's struck… However not all hope is lost, suddenly she feels wind rushing past her cause her to looks up and saw Marisa, on her broom offering her a free hand, while another holding on a charged up Hakkero.

"Seriously, when I'm going for a kill, something must interrupt the climax" The black-white witch mutters while pulling Oriko up on the broom again. Then flew toward Alice and Patchouli, who already managed to blown up a green mech-dragon by shoving non-directional Lasers down its throats when it tried desperately to spew a fireball at them. Leave an exploded missile, which also took out some weird orange things that appeared in place of the caped man after the dinosaur's laser hit him, behind.

But the battle is far from over, the black skinned boxer and the afro-man still stands firm and closing in on their position fast, their face suggest that they want nothing more than four corpses on the spiky ground below.

"Sorry for causing you all to miss your chance, Marisa... Patchouli… Alice…" Oriko apologize when seeing other three magicians and then throws her marbles at high speed toward the black boxer, exploded harmlessly on his guard but also force him to slow his advance, buying more time for them to regroup and prepare another attack.

"No harms done, beside, who would thought it'll turned out like this." Marisa speaks, then quickly shoot a barrage of bright blue lasers, **Earthlight Ray**, straight past Shanghai, Hourai and her battalion, toward the green muscular wrestler who didn't expect this kind of attack after fighting small flies (miniature dolls) for full fifteen minutes, thus his face get blast off into cinder, follow up by his entire body burst into flame and vaporized afterward, leaving only grief seed, which fall down from the mockery of the sky, behind.

"Now another one bites the dust…" Marisa mutter, then quickly jerks her broom up to avoids energy shots from the mech-dinosaur's direction announcing that it's not dead yet. Which also made Oriko turn toward the thing before widen her eyes in shock, its head's gone, revealed a human brain-like thing with metallic spike protruding from everywhere, the brain stem was replaced with two eyes, elephant-like tusks and metallic tube connecting it to the dinosaur body below!

"When did dinosaur become so strong to survived explosion to the face, with only brain intact like this?" Marisa groaned, while Alice use that opportunity to recalled all her dolls back, Patchouli also start chanting spells

"Yeah, thanks for the oblivious Marisa." Alice quipped, and then orders her dolls except Shanghai to take position and intercept any incoming rounds from enemies, while she asks her favorite doll. "Shanghai, ready?"

"Always!" The doll cheerfully reply, then position herself in front of her master, facing the boxer man who, despite losing nearly all teeth and drooling flaming saliva like a waterfall, still determined to squash them like bugs, if not because of Hourai and other dolls start peppering him from every directions, made the angry witch in giant male form, which acts on instinct to try to kill those first and ignore Alice and Shanghai who's charging a kill move aim straight at him/her.

The doll's hands stretch out, as well as her master's that touch the doll's back. Energy started to gather on the doll's palms, then her master finish her chant. **"Curse sign: Shanghai Doll!"**

At the same time, Patchouli raises her hands in the air, facing the angry afro-man who also glared at her with glowing eyes ready to shoot energy projectiles out. Suddenly, a fireball as huge as the purple magician herself erupt over her head, before she point her palm at the witch that assumed a form of giant man, declared.** "Saint Elmo's Pillar!"**

And finally Marisa, have her mini-hakkero out, pointing it at the brain like thingies on the dinosaur's body, the device started to humming, glowing with power, she then look at Oriko who's sitting behind her on a broom send a grin toward the girl and said. "Now let us show you what a normal human who trained hard in the art of magic could do…** Love sign: Master Spark" **

Three explosions sound rocks the entire area when all three attacks, one huge fireball and two giant lasers connect on their targets at the same time. The afro-man lookalike witch get his entire face blast into black gore and blood, while the boxer's head and the dinosaur's brain simply vaporized.

The scenery which look like a mockery of bad art begin to shift, when the master who created it no longer there to sustain the barrier, it started to crumble. The four victorious magic users (plus dolls army.) quickly found themselves on the rose garden of Mikuni household again.

"Well, that was fun…" Marisa speaks while quickly jump off the broom after Oriko's, who still in magical girl's attire, moving toward the grief seeds that scattered around the clearing. Understandably, since everyone can see a moment ago that her soul gem is now turned black for about one-third of the entire gem already, from just one fight! Albeit a huge one... but still…

"We've managed to get a hold of this many grief seeds too…" Patchouli stated while picking the nearest one up from the ground, her eyes looking at the pattern on the black orb-like object as small as marbles that Oriko used as weapons with interest. "We'll have plenty for our research and keep Oriko from turning into a witch for quite a while, hopefully until we find a way..."

At that words Marisa asks "Doesn't Yukari said there's no way to turn the witch back to human? And why only her… Ow!?" She turned away to look at Alice who's withdrawing her grimoire back from smacking the black-white's head. While the other hand signaling her dolls to running around, picking up every grief seeds they could find, aside from the one that Oriko's using.

The puppeteer sigh when seeing a questioning looks on her friend's face, thus she elaborate to her fellow friend. "We're trying to find a way to stop the transformation, if we can't reverse, then at least prevent! And now we have only Oriko on our side, getting other to know we have a stockpile of limited resource will likely draw them toward us as enemies instead!" at that her doll, Shanghai also nodded, agree with her master.

"But, I still can't believe that we managed to get this much from just one fight…" Oriko, who just purified her soul gem back to bright blue sapphire again, decided to rejoin the conversation, neon green eyes looks around, specifically at the grief seeds that Alice's dolls help gathered up in front of the group, in excitement. "Ten seeds!**(2)** from just one battle! Considered that we magical girls transform into witches, and we compete for the same resources, I doubt that it'll be hard press to find two witches that works together, let alone more than three."

No one on the magicians' side has any objections on the subjects, after all it was sound and logical, what Oriko said is that 'since magical girl will try to get by with as small team as possible, or mostly solo thanks to compete for grief seeds, chance of someone transform together is slim, not to mentioned that no one, apart from special case like her will know the truth.'

But then Patchouli decided to explain a bit more. "It's also because our charm managed to power them up and 'evolve' them at the same time as drawing them out from their hiding far and wide, if anything else, I doubt those witches will take a humanoid form, let alone… ahem… male form… and has this much power and difficulty… *cough*"

"Yeah, reminds me later when we need more grief seeds, next time I'll charge the baiting charm up…" Marisa volunteered, only to sidestepped, dodging another book-smack from blonde puppeteer. "I doubt that the world-ending witch will born too early if you're allowed to do that again!" Alice quipped, much to Marisa's dismay.

It was then that Shanghai decided to walk up on Oriko, who watching the conversation with interest. And strike a conversation with her when she gain the grey-haired girl's attention by pulling her sleeve. "Hello, I'm Master Alice's doll, Shanghai, nice to meet you…" then she bowed.

Before Oriko could answer anything, groans from certain black-white witch's stomach choose that moment to kill the mood of introduction entirely. Shanghai and Alice looks at the source of the noise and sigh, while Oriko look up at the sun overhead and realized that it was nearly noon already despite the fight seems to last no more than half an hour. But after all, in the intense fighting nine witches simultaneously, the sense of time seems lost on them…

Oriko decided to speak to the doll. "Nice to meet you too, I'm Oriko Mikuni, erm… magical girl in training, I think..." she hesitantly added. Then she turns toward three other and said. "I'll prepare some lunch then, let head inside." Which get the little doll to volunteer herself to help.

"Hey, let me help too!" was all the noise she made, while other magicians just chuckle at the two odd buddies who walk into the manor. Then those magicians decided that they too, don't want to stay out in open at noon the middle of summer longer than they should have. And follow inside as well.

* * *

Author note: These witches is basically an OC (Original Character), though it not quite 'Original' to say the least. Name? Take guess then, dear readers. But for me (Author) I suggest 'Kayin' (Heh, heh, heh…)

And of course, as explained in the story, those weird witches came to be thanks to their baiting charm malfunction when supercharged, hope it doesn't stretch too much suspension of disbelieve okay?

For Shanghai & Hourai having personalities, it's up to your interpretation whether Alice's pretending it to be, or it was real one. Since I didn't state or suggest any of them.

(1) At that point Mother Brain is inside Birdo, so she only saw 9.

(2) Count the number, We have Tyson Punchout (black skinned boxer), Kraidgief (green wrestler), Mecha Birdo & Mother brain (the robot dinosaur things that has brain inside the head), Dracula (black caped man), Bowser, Wart, Willy (on the UFO), Mech Dragon (well, green Mech-dragon) and of course, The Guy, 10 total.

**PS. now you all know why I named this chapter, and chapter after that like this right? he he he...**


	5. Chapter 4: I Wanna get a Food!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 4: I Wanna get a Food!**

After the big battle that Marisa has nick-named it later **"Battle of the Fruits, Spikes and Moons"** passed by, the residents of Mikuni household then faced with another problems that threaten their operation effectiveness greatly not long after, to be specific, it came in right on the next morning the day after battle, when Oriko and Alice opened the only fridge in her house to get ingredients for their breakfast, only to find it empty…

"Huh?..." was all Oriko could say when it was oblivious that they wouldn't have a meal anymore. While Alice recalled the events yesterday and sigh, with Shanghai in tow, then said with shame. "Seems yesterday we all let ourselves get carried away by the celebration…"

Well, calling 'celebration' is overstatement, but the fact that they used up all the food stocks inside the fridge of the Mikuni Household still stands. And thus that mean no food until they managed to buy something outside of this home! And it must be fast, else someone might starved to death first. However, judging from the look on Alice's and Shanghai's face, the prospect of not having any food seems not that serious to them (In case of Shanghai, she's not concerned about it at all, if she's really an individual that is.). Thus it's only normal for Oriko to ask about that matter.

"You seems to not concern about starving that much? Did you have something to share?" That cause the puppeteer to turn around and tilt her head a bit, looking at the confused grey-haired girl, then her blue eyes widen when she thought what the other's problem and giggle a bit, at the Oriko's dismay of being ignore.

Alice seems to notice some disappointment boiling up in Oriko's mind, well, not really, it was Shanghai's who tug her sleeve and point at the magical girl. Then Alice decided to explain things a little. "Sorry for doing something that looks like I'm ignoring you or our problem, Oriko." Oriko looks up once she heard the apology from the puppeteer, gaining her attention, thus she continues. "But you see, we magician, especially someone as old and experienced as Patchouli, could forgo food consumption entirely for months… even years without dying, feeding only on their magical reserve and residue magic. Thus we didn't worry about don't have food for today's morning that much…"

Oriko's jaw dropped at the revelation, stood still for another minute before she could regain her speech, while Alice and her doll are free to roam the kitchen, tried searching other cupboards, stoves or oven if they still had something left. "Wait Alice! Then why Patchouli still has to eat if she can get by like…" She suddenly trailed off and close her mouth shut at the sight of one-week magician, the subject she was discussing not seconds ago, standing at the door of the kitchen, in the dress she wore yesterday, or the night before as if she didn't changes her clothes at all, looking at her with piercing purple eyes showing a mild annoyance toward her.

"Please, do not gossip about other people, it's considered rude. *cough*" Patchouli warned and step inside, eyes looking around before locking on the Microwave oven. "What an interesting instruments for cooking, who could believe that just an electromagnetic wave could heat up food." She said while patting her hand on the white metallic casing of the equipment in question. Then she turns toward Oriko and answering the question left hanging when she entered the room. "About your question earlier, even we can feed off the magic energy, from our own reserve or nature, natural food's still important to our body nonetheless, since some body functions cannot properly run without specific nutrient. Not to mention the taste is enjoyable, even for someone as long lived as myself."

"Then, all magicians are capable of this?" Oriko probed further, wishing to gain more insight on the people who hard work their ways into magic users instead of '_Easy instant expert contract package with fine prints that you don't know_.' as Marisa called it yesterday when she complained during the celebration meal about how weak magical girls are when they're first contracted, and considered that they never received proper training, since that white cat-rabbit wouldn't care to help more than basic abilities (after all, wasting time on someone who'll eventually succumbed and turn into a monster is counter-productive, since they could use all those times to find more victims… er… girls to contracts instead.), chance of them grown out of such state is rather slim, if not outright impossible.

Fortunately that Patchouli seems happy enough to answers her willingly this time. "For the reference, next time you could ask me, or Alice, or Marisa on the subjects regarding magicians like us, just NOT bad mouthing other people… Could you do this?" Oriko quickly nodded and apologize, realized that she just did something that shouldn't be done toward other people, magician or not. "Good, now for the answer is no… it depend on whether they decided to study toward this particular skills, practice and mastered it or not, for example, Marisa here…" she pointed her finger at the black-white witch at the door, who's stomach is growling with hunger and her sleepy eyes stare at them as if to asks what they're talking about "…still unable to substitute food with natural magic just yet, well, she can get by for a day or so at best. Since her method of doing it is not as effective as mine or Alice, which required lots of practices."

"Ah, I see…" Oriko said, while Marisa quickly yells at the purple witch. "Hey! Don't gossiping about other like this!"

Patchouli simply shrugged, while Alice decided to add some thought. "Oh, but saying in front of the person in question is not 'gossip' you know?" then she produced a small mockery smile, much to Marisa chagrin, while Oriko just nodded in apology, which the black-white didn't know what she was apologized for, no breakfast or this bad mouthing?

It doesn't matters, after all when her stomach roaring for the second time, she thrown all those quarreling out of the windows instantly. "Well, how are we going to fix that problem…" as for emphasis, she pointed at an empty refrigerator and then shelves the devoid of all edible goods. "…I hated to admit, but Patchy here was right, I still couldn't survive without food… unlike you three…"

"Well, sorry to disappoint you…" Oriko counter. "…But the contract doesn't include this 'no food requirement.' Package with them, probably Kyubey never thought that would be an issue to hamper our mission… well,… his mission." And that earned a chuckle from all others in the kitchen simultaneously, including the magical girl of the group.

That seems to ease off some tensions between them a little bit, however the problem still stands, so Alice, who just emerged from one of cupboard empty-handed, alongside Shanghai who search upper cupboard out of Alice's reach, considered their options. "By the way, I think that we should've go shopping for ingredient like right about now. Else we'll miss lunch and supper too."

"If it's not inconvenient you, I'll keep you company." Oriko quickly volunteer, since she's the local and known where the stores and shops are in Kasamino. It'll be better than they search by themselves, not to mention only she know how to negotiate with those merchants for a better price tag. After all, she's not some kind of rich idiot who get spoiled too much, these basics had already drilled in her even when her father was a politician, albeit for more or less 'public people must become an example for others' as her father once put it, but it still serves her alright in such time of need like this.

However this proposition quickly get shot down by none other than Marisa, who also relies on food to survive like her. "Sorry to say this, but we can't let you help us go shopping, not anytime soon."

"Huh? Why?" Oriko was dumbstruck by the statement.

Alice just shrug and said one simple word, word that Oriko grown to hated so much that she's wondering why her soul gem wasn't corrupted or turn into grief seed at the mention of the name already. "Kyubey…" when seeing the magical girl's expression, she elaborates further. "You didn't forget that you fooled Kyubey into thinking that you're already dead or turned right?"

That was enough for Oriko to pieces the jigsaw together and remembered something, yes, how could she forget? She thought bitterly about two days ago, now what she has done to shielded these three from Kyubey's interventions (or maybe assassination in worst case scenario.) had come back to bite her real HARD. If she to go out of this stealth bound field, who's to say that little contract dealer will not recognized her magical signature immediately, after all, in Kasamino or every towns in the world for that matter, could not possibly have a lot of magical girls running around since all of them would turned into witches eventually, and potential contracts are also quite rare and limited to adolescent girls with a few bits of innate magical power, thus filling out choices of whose this magic signatures are would be easy.

But when she thoughts to this line, something suddenly hit her mind and thus she quickly asks the three magicians about one possible scenario. "But if Kyubey were to found one of you three out there, wasn't it also ruined our secrecy, or your plan? It's possible considered that you three has high innate magic power due to your own practices and training to begin with, he would thought that you're as much a potential contract as the witch that will destroy this world!"

Alice and Marisa looking at each other while Patchouli sat down on a small chair, hand rose to her chin, pondering what Oriko said for a moment, then shook her head and said with a smile in a quite confident tone. "I thank you for your concern. But as long as we do not show him that we could use magic despite not contracting with him it should be fine, as for the contract, this Kyubey doesn't force the contract down someone's throat right?"

Other two magicians saw a flaw in the librarian's logics, particularly Marisa, who's used to lie and deceiving, well, sometimes to get what she wants anyway, quickly spoke out of her own experience. "Well, Patchy, even if Oriko says 'yes' to your question. It still doesn't mean it'll not try to arrange a situations where we have no choice but to contract or exposed ourselves as a magicians… like… say…" she paused for a moment, looking at the magical girl who's blinking in response, and point at Oriko "…Oriko of course, we have an example here where it take advantage of the situation doesn't it?"

"As much as I hated to admitted to my own downfall…" Oriko mutter while shooking her head, then look up on other three, and then Patchouli with a serious expression on her face. "But Marisa's right, Miss Patchouli, He might cause you to venture into some witch barrier and trapped there in…" she frowned when she activated her clairvoyance vision a bit, her neon green eyes seem to glow a little, then fade back to normal a second later. "Well, that's what he'll do if you leave for Kasamino now and..." Before she could speak further, three magicians look at Oriko with a little displeased, as if she just spoke out something that offended them greatly, and that make her shut her mouth instantly.

It was Alice who broke the silence. Her expressions soften a little when it was shown on the grey haired girl's face that she didn't know why they reacted this way. "Sorry, Oriko, but next time, please refrain from using… or abusing that clairvoyance of yours." Oriko looks surprised, but the puppeteer continues anyway. "… Rely too much on seeing, or predicting a future has both advantage and disadvantage. And I've to say that disadvantage will far more severe in the long run."

"How?" Oriko ask. Thus Patchouli is the one to answers this time. "Your clairvoyance is just like a crutch that helps someone who knows not how to walk." She compares in almost philosophical manner. "…however useful and convenient it might be, the fact that the one who use them isn't a single step closer to walk with their own two feet either still stands and not changing at all."

Marisa then simplified what Patchouli just said in a slightly loud voice when seeing Oriko frowned again, deep in thought. "Simple, your thinking won't fast enough to adapt, or even learned why they do this, why they do that because you see only 'what happen when you do this or that in the next x time right?'" That snapped back Oriko's attention, thus Marisa continued. **"If you can persevered, adapt, and overcome the hardships thrown at you in an unpredictable future, where you know nothing beforehand, you'll become stronger, more experienced in the end when you can beat them down. **That's how we, who used to such things thought about your power, understand?"

Oriko's eyes widen at the explanation, then she giggles a bit and said to Marisa who don't think it's time to be funny. "Seriously, your simplification is even more complex and longer than what Patchouli said by a miles."

"Oh well sorry for not being philosophical enough on my choices of words" Marisa snorts while other magicians decided to join the giggling too.

Then Alice decided to interrupts and adds her thought about Oriko's power. "Well, even said that, it's still a great boon in some situations, especially if it's a matter of life or death, or someone turning into a monster for instance." She then turned to look into Oriko's eyes, gaining other's attention before giving advices. "Just do not rely too much on them to help you overcome trivial hardships. As Marisa and Patchouli already pointed out, it'll hamper your ability to learn and grow."

Oriko nodded, understand the message completely, those with the will to overcome hardship by their own power and determination will ended up stronger than those who take the shortcut like her. It's just a simple fact that seems to fall on her deaf ears recently. It just looped back to the ways of the true magicians that these three follows again. Thought about it only make her think what a fool and weakling she was back then.

Her neon green eyes gazes upon empty microwave, which sparked another conversation as it reminds her of what they're discussing before. "Now on a more pressing matter…" She asks other three who look back at her when she broke the silence. "Since you ringed me out from go shopping, then you three would go instead?"

At those words the little blonde doll sitting on the cupboard protest will small voice fitting her body. "Hey! How could you forget me?"

"Well, it's oblivious, since this world does not have a talking doll." Oriko quickly correct her words at the sight of miniature girl stand up, her small sapphire blue eyes glared at the magical girl. "Sorry, I seem to use wrong words, there're no single talking walking dolls on this world, science has yet to reach this kind of accomplishment. It'll cause a ruckus if you were to walk, or fly around outside, let alone shopping."

Seems her answer satisfied the little one, Shanghai just shook her head and jump up on Alice's shoulder, albeit looks sad. Alice look at her doll for a moment as if to calm the miniature girl down, then turn attention toward Oriko. "I think it'll be me and Marisa who'll go and get the stuff. Meanwhile…" At that, Marisa suddenly yell out in disagreement while pointing her finger at another magician. "Hey, why not Patchouli? Why only me and you?"

Alice glance at the magician in question, who look at them impassively then turn toward Marisa and speaks. "I don't think that her dress…" She point at the nightgown-like robe that her friend wears as usual. "…is what they use to stroll around by day and we don't have anything else to change… just yet…" She adds.

"And what about me, or you, Alice? Did our dresses seem normal to them?" Marisa asks out of curiosity, of course, the one who she asks is Oriko, not Alice, even when her eyes still trained on the puppeteer at the moment.

It was then that Oriko just get a good look on her three 'guests' for the first time that morning, and remembered what the puppeteer just said earlier. Then to the magicians' surprise, the first thing she comments is. "Did you three wear these clothes for whole three days without changing at all? Oh, forget that, did you three ever take a bath?" Well, she didn't adds that, even if you took a bath, but your clothes still sweating from wearing all day long, then you're not clean whatever at all.

"Of course, we get send here without time to prepare anything at all, can you blame us of having limited wardrobes to wear huh?" Marisa is the first one to regain composure and shout back, however Alice just shake her head and slap her shoulder to stop her, then explain what's in Oriko's mind to black-white, well, what she think the other was thinking anyway. "Silly, Marisa, she's asking if you, me, or Patchouli ever take a bath, or if we're ever clean our clothes, well, at least she's concerned about healthcare more than you…"

After scolding Marisa, Alice then answers Oriko's question. "Well, since our resources are limited, so yes, it's the same clothes that we wore all these days, but don't worry…" She quickly speak when Oriko's face turn pale a little. "… We have our magic, remember, and you should know that, by practicing it, studying it, you could open many application possibilities, including self-cleaning with our magic field."

Oriko expecting any answer but that, so her reaction can be summed up as "Huh?" prompting the puppeteer to sigh, pondering how she could explain without other girl at loss again. It was then that Patchouli decided to intervene by placing her hand on Oriko's shoulder and speak. "You two better hurry, from what they told in… hmm… 'Television' I watched in the library, even at the markets of this world, supplies are quite limited… if you wish for a good quality and cheap items. You have to get it before the supplies run out. Considering that they delivered fresh, new supplies to the market every morning, not night. *cough*"

Marisa let out a humph, don't like the idea that she has to go out much, but then again, better than Patchouli, and who know, she might find something interesting. But Alice seems to remembered that they still has one question that left unanswered, so she pressed it again on Oriko who simply smile. "For you two, Alice, your attire is the closest to normal of all you three, I can assured you that you could passed up as civilian even with your current choice of clothes."

Then she looks at Marisa who's waiting for comment on her witch dress next. "Marisa, for you, just not carried your broom out with you, and not using a witch hat, and you could passed up as normal people here as well." That made the black-white witch grinned in satisfaction that she didn't need to find new clothing at all, thus saving a bit more money to use on something else interesting.

Lastly Oriko looks straight at Patchouli and explain. "For you, Patchouli, sorry for rude comment, but the only way you could get out of this house in that attire without attracting suspicion, is playing your… asthma was it?" She asks hesitantly, understandable since she just simply guess the purple haired magician's disease which plaguing her by just observing her behavior. But it still hit the truth dead on nonetheless, thus Patchouli nodded in response. "…using your asthma, called the ambulance let them take you to the hospital, well, that's the only place you could go in this dress without rising suspicion anyway."

"But for me, I think that if we have some free time, get Patchouli a check-up there also a good idea. Even I don't know if the basic anatomy of witches are different than that of human or not." Marisa mutters, earning a glare from the person in question, but even Patchouli knows that her friend spokes out of concern and care for her own health, thus it's not escalating beyond that. Furthermore, even Alice agreed on it too.

However, Oriko did not finished yet, she then called both Alice and Marisa. "But, as you're longing to go out and buy us ingredient for food, I've to teach you the custom and how to acts first…" and then she smiled at the end of the sentence when Marisa started to complain saying something about why just their clothing aren't suffice enough already, while Alice whack some sense in the black-white by smacking her again. Before turning toward Oriko and speak.

"I think if we're to blend in with your people, might as well learned as much as we can, else we arouse suspicion," She crossed her arm and continue. "Well, it can't be help, we're stranger in strange land after all."

Oriko nodded and calmly speak. "Shall we start now? The longer we delay this, some good supplies at the market might slipped away." She then looks at the clock with concern.

* * *

About two hour and a half later…

Two blonde-haired girls in western-looking dress, one in black and white, one in light blue, step out of the public transport bus into the sunlight of market district of Kasamino town, looking around with interest, despite the sun's nearly overhead and the heat in the middle of the day. Around them, there're many people, men, women, children, all in various clothing attires, still walking around everywhere minding their own business on the pedestrian walkway, move in and out of large structures, skyscrapers which surrounded them from all sides. Vehicle ranging from motorcycle to cars and trucks running along the streets carrying passengers or goods toward their destination seems to never cease.

Such is the life of the people in the city of 21st century. This is much, much different than the quiet isolation lifestyle of small village and various groups of Youkai species in Gensokyou, who live among the trees and nature, unchanging for centuries. This place, for Alice and Marisa, is not anything they ever seen before, even Mikuni manor has a feeling much closer to their home than this thanks to it's practically abandoned saved for the last heir who provided shelter for them.

However, another reason that these two are looking around is that they're trying to figured out where's the store that sell food and ingredient is located, even with the direction and map given to them by Oriko who cannot come out herself, they're still lost in the center of the town.

"Every buildings just look so much like each other that I don't know where's the direction we come from." Muttered Marisa, who's currently turning around, look up the multi-stories tall glass wall of skyscrapers with amazement. "Even their techniques and sciences allow them to defy natural laws of the earth and create such a piece of machineries…" She looks at the rows of cars that stopped at the traffic light which turned red. "But I've to say their tastes of art are terrible consider how they design these buildings, right? Alice?"

Her fellow magician didn't listen to her rambling, instead, she pull out a piece of paper which is a map of Kasamino town from her sleeve and look at it thoroughly, sometimes she'll looks up toward some signs on the surrounding as if to compare it to the one on the map. Five minutes later, she started walking away from the bus stop ignoring the black-white, forcing her to follow. They both walk around the crossroads nearest to the bus stop, after the skyscraper at the corner was cleared from sight, they both come to face the two stories building, where first floor filled to the brim with all kinds of vegetables, fresh meats, spices, and every materials imaginable for cooking. People, townsfolk walking and buying things they need for cooking their families' meal everywhere in there.

"Well, who know that they're so good in hiding such a noisy and huge place like this from us." Marisa speak again, while Alice just shrugged, looking at many bags provided by Mikuni household, or what was left of them, to use in carrying supplies, for a moment, then she walk into the market, with Marisa in tow.

After an hour of squeezing themselves around the crowded market, bargaining at their best effort to lower prices, competing for some nice fresh ingredient of their food weeks to come, or even catching some thief who trying to pick pocket them, finally the two magician get what they came for and now heading back toward the bus stop to ride home, well, not their home, but still home nonetheless anyway. But not before finding something to eat for lunch first.

On their back, or their hands are full with large bags carrying fresh meat, vegetable, cooking oil and everything that need to get the kitchen working (including new fresh teabag!) for a month to come, thanks to the refrigerator, which is empty, Oriko told them that they should buy this much so they could last a long time without going back here to buy every weekend. However she did warned that if not for the circumstance they currently faced, they should've brought just to last a week at best, since even with the fridge, goods still degenerate, and that mean terrible taste food.

Most of these knowledge are not lost on deaf ears, and Alice started to think back at home where she mostly cooking by getting ingredients from the forest day by day, wondering how bad the taste can go if they're going to use these food on hers' and Marisa's back for month to come. While Marisa could care less about it and wish to get the job done as fast as possible, understandable… considered that she no longer had her favorite head gear to protect her head from the blazing sunlight in the middle noon of summer, it's hot as hell, even the puppeteer didn't care much about it still feels it anyway.

While waiting for the next bus to arrive and take them back to Mikuni's manor thanks to Marisa's falsely assume that you can use the same bus stop they dropped off to ride the bus back in the opposite direction, and regretfully see on the bus stop display that the bus they 'used to ride' here has to go to the opposite edge of the town first before coming back and get to where they wanted to go, wasting loads of time, but by the time they crossed the road to the other side, another bus has already gone, and result in them had to wait like this, a certain event suddenly occur, starting by some voice speaking to them in their head!

'_Oh, this is interesting…'_ the voice said in amused tone yet there're no emotion attached to a single word at all. _'How can I miss someone with so much potential such as you two despite this city practically have no one that could radiate magic around themselves naturally like this at all? Seems you two are just coming over here recently are you? Considered your unnatural hair color, maybe you're from the west?'_

Marisa nearly drop the bag in her hands at the voice's comment, while Alice's eyes narrowed, glancing around looking for the source that sending this 'telepathic message' to them. However, they didn't need to look out for long when it spoke again. _'I'm at your feet, girl in blue dress one.'_

At that, their eyes snapped toward the general direction the voice has given, there, sitting on all four, not even two steps from Alice (well, another step and it's on the street, ripe for some random car to slam on.), was a white cat-size cat-like creature, with overly long ears that reached down the concrete walkway adorned with one golden ring each, its cat smile like face seems to frozen static unmoving, its blood red eyes that stared back at the startle witches from another dimension showing no sign of emotion despite the smile directed at them.

In truth, the puppeteer's mind has been racing from the moment this thing spoke to them already. 'I didn't expect to see one of this so called Incubator on a shopping trip like this, well…' She glanced at her companion for a second seeing if she can retain her cool even with this unexpected encounter. 'Well… at least Marisa's sure still shock at the sudden event. She might not try to speak anything soon, but who know what she'll says once she get over it, oh great, must do something.'

She glance at the side of the street full of vehicles waiting for traffic sign to turn green and frown, no bus that they're supposed to ride back in sight mean they struck here for a while. But then again, riding the bus home with this thing tailing you back also a no-no situation either. And killing it wouldn't achieve anything other than other incubator zero in on them later.

However it seems that they've been silence for too long as the creature, or Kyubey, asks. _'Are you surprise that there exist a talking animal like me? Or you're thinking that you yourself are going insane to see me? I can assure you that I'm real, just that…' _he turn his head indicate to other pedestrians waiting for buses around them, as if to give an example. _'…I'm invisible to normal people who do not have magic in them, after all.'_

That word really help the puppeteer answers, though Kyubey himself seems to not notice that he just give her the answer she was searching for, thus she 'accidentally' dropped one bag full of bread (since it won't break and waste the food from impact.) from her hand, kneel down as if to retrieve it, then whisper in low voice to the creature's face, while Marisa who seems to regain her sense, decided to watch for a while instead (probably can't decide what to do yet: thought Alice). "Yes, I'm feeling that way, especially I've never seen the like of you before, up until now."

Well, that's not quite the truth, but still 'truth' in some twisted way that she never seen Kyubey 'in person' before. It'll conceal her knowledge about his kind better than outright lying, since human (well, former human anyway.) would not give a sign that they're lying out that much if they're telling the truth. Alice is not a master of deception, social awkward aside, but given times she spent with black white witch who lied a lots, she's bound to pick up some quirks anyway.

However, Marisa seems to run her mouth faster than her thought thinking thing through, because she moved near her then kneeling to speak with Kyubey in an interesting tone, care not for other pedestrian around them or Alice, for that matter. "Oh, are you some kind of fantastic animal who give girls magical power to fight off evil? Or granting wishes for the dream to come true?"

'_Well figured, miss…'_ Kyubey still don't know the name of the girls he's talking to, since he couldn't read other's mind like Satori in folklore, only telepathically speak, so this's natural response. _'I'm said that I'm both, even you two seems to be much more… older than other I've met so far, I can grant you one wish and turn you into magical girl to fight evil inhibiting this world, just make a contract with me, and both will be granted!'_

Meanwhile, Alice just glances at Marisa as if to warn her not to speak something they're not supposed to. While there's no visible response from the ordinary magician, the puppeteer knows that she will catch the sign.

"Hey, that sound scary… sends us to fight monsters like that, we're not soldiers you know!" Marisa catch on her warning and quickly follow up conversation, not knowing that the other civilians starting to moved away from her (and by extension, Alice), who seems to be talking with some invisible friend, while her visible 'friend' sit nearby looking at the black-white dress girl with concern.

Not only her who's not paying attention to the crowd, but the white creature in front of them are no better either, seems it's too happy to just pull a stop right now, with two candidates next to him. Since it try to sugar-coat the contract again. _'Worry not, black-white girl, with your innate talent like this, I'm sure that you'll become a pretty strong magical girl that no witches, the monsters in questions, would be able to compete, on top of getting any wish you want to fulfill by contract with me.'_

Alice nearly snorts at the word 'talent' that the rabbit just spit out. 'Talent my foot, we both trains ourselves really hard to come this far!' Only that she have to keep disguise else it figure out what they are that refrain her from vaporize it on the spot with her magical laser.

However Marisa seems to have other idea, as she lifts one hand (that still has a meat bag hanging on it.) to her chin, make her looks like she's thinking thing through, then finally spoke the moment bus that they supposed to board just run out of the bus stop. "Nah, I'm sorry, but we're not taking your contract, you see…" she lifts the cargo in her hand up for Kyubey to see. "Taking care of family and your works is a burden enough, not need unnecessary things like this." It's true that she still has family and she still care for them, just not mentioned that they lived a separate place. "Oh, well, by the way, I'm Marisa, what's your name?" She added considered it's strange to talk like this without knowing each other name yet.

Kyubey tilt his head a little before speak. _'Well met, Marisa, my name is Kyubey. It's quite sad that you cannot contract, but I understand that it's responsibility weighted on your shoulder which you refuse to solve by the help of the stranger like me.'_ Seems it didn't want to press on the matter, seeing the huge bag holding what amount of food for whole family is enough to convince him, maybe. Then it turns to face Alice and ask her the same question. _'But you, young miss, do you have any wish or desire to be fulfill, like I said, I could do it as it's part of the puella magi contract.'_

Alice crossed her arms, decided to follow up with another excuse. "For me, I've my research that has yet to complete…" well, if you could view 'Magic Study and Doll making technique' as such. "And I would better complete it on my own, and before you suggest I use a wish of contract to do so…" She quickly interrupts what Kyubey trying to say, well, what she thinks it's trying to say anyway, since that damn mouth of his never moved at all. "We're both adult now, I wouldn't rely on miracle to make something happen, too low of a probability, and neither do Marisa here." She pointed at the black-white witch who seems to share the same opinion.

Kyubey's ruby eyes stare linger on both magicians for a while as if to ask that they're seriously ditching out this easy opportunity for hardships that lies ahead without wishes to help instead? Before it seems to decide that these two won't bulge on their choices and take up the offer for contract anytime soon, it then says. _'I see, you two seem to stood firm on the scientific logics and responsibility of an adult despite your young age. It'll be hard to convince otherwise, but if you've a change of…_'

It's telepathic message was cut short however by a sudden shift of the background, no, the surrounding of the three was distorted, turn, twisted, then the street, people, vehicles, all gone, replaced by a distorted image of black and white chess tiles room, with a vast floor as large as half a football field and walls so tall the ceiling was hidden in the darkness, a series of sound that's incomprehensible echo through the air around them.

The two magicians, especially Marisa, tried their best without need of words to acts surprise and fear by dropped their bags on the ground, then sit down on their knees hugging each other while look around on the floor with fake wary eyes. Meanwhile, Kyubey, who still stays close to both of them turn around to look into direction that the noise originated from, which is the area of this room that covered in darkness.

A few seconds later, the source come into their sight, which, even living in mythical land since birth, two magicians still stared at the creature with wide eyes. No, not creature… monstrosity… that has giant head looks like a human skull the size of a minivan wrapped in a transparent plastic tied up on top of its head like candy, with human faces in place of its eyes, dark-color hair sprouting from the back of its head dropping down to the floor, it has but one single hand that seems to poke out of one strands of hair. Oh, and it stand and walk (read: jump) closer to both of them on just one slim leg and shoe to boot! [1]

Once it's about ten meter from them, the thing stretch out its tongue from its skull-like face, licking non-existence lip as if it just saw some food it can eat, the face on its skull stared right toward two girls like a predator, while Kyubey quickly turn back to them. His face frozen still in a smile just like the first time they see him. And Marisa chooses that moment to speak to him in a stutter voice as if frighten by the sight before her, reinforcing their innocence about magic and supernatural image further. "W-W- what is that thing? It seems to look at us…"

Kyubey's voice speaks in their mind with a serious tone, well, serious for a being that facial expression never changed at all, that is. _'It seems the witch also sense your power potential, after all it's logical that the creatures that create magical barrier and use magic will find someone with magic more interesting, especially someone of such caliber as you two that can overshadow nearly every puella magis I've contracted with.'_

"Witch?" Marisa squeak unlike anything Alice had heard from her friend before, make her think that she seems to over-acting a bit too much. "…That thing more like a monster to me! Kyubey!... Ahhh It's getting closer!" She screams at the sight of the thing leap up and crashing down not three meter away from them in an instant. Gaping mouth now has saliva dripping from it along with the tongue that trying to lick her, force both to quickly crawl out of range then broke into a run, with Kyubey sidestep and follow with them.

The small white creature then shouts (if you can call telepathic a shout.) to the two who's currently running as fast as they can with all the supplies on their hands and backs._ 'Quickly! Form a contract with me, just one of you, so we could survive this!'_ at that, the witch leap again, crashing down behind them, relentlessly pursuits its preys.

Alice gritted her teeth in frustration, at this rate, one of the two scenarios will happen, one is that they both dies, since the Incubator will try their best to contract them by using the situation in front of them to its advantage, and she bet that it just didn't care if they'll contract or not, it might just thought that in a vastness of the earth, why couldn't it find another one who has magic potential like both of them, in billions human population it must tend to found one right?

Or second scenario, which is more than likely to happen than the first one since both of them are not the type to sit down and let that monster kill them, they defend themselves with their own magic, and get discovered by this accursed animal, which will lead to a pursuit by magical girls sent their way, since Incubator are more than likely to make sure their magic is **'the only way.'** for human to wield mystical power, so that they still has constant influx of puella magis without shared with other school of magic, or even they're not doing such thing, they'll still keep a close eyes to watch their movement, and it'll be more difficult to do anything at all, considered what to do if they found out what Patchouli is researching back at Mikuni's household.

"If you said you've contract many of this 'magical girl' or 'puella magi' oh whatever name you call it!" Marisa yelled out, while jump to the side to avoid getting lick by that huge tongue. "Why don't you just called one of them here to save us using your mind talk huh?"

Kyubey replies while still running alongside them in its near-emotionless flat tone voice. _'one function of witch barrier is to keep someone from seeing them, Marisa, and that included cut off all form of communications as well, except individuals who possess strong magical potential to overpowered them through sheer power.'_

"Damn it… can't strong radio signal do the tricks?" the black white cursed under her breathe, forgetting to looking at the path ahead, thus she tripped over one of the uneven terrain and fell flat face first to the floor. Alice stopped and run back to pick the blonde black-white up, without hearing the protest from the other. "Alice! What are you doing, run!"

But that's too late since the skull-face witch monstrosity just landed, stomped her foot right next to them, cutting off any chance of escape unless they can run at a pace of 60 kilometer per hour in split seconds to dodge its tongue, a feat that's not impossible for any of them to do**, but cannot do it in front of Kyubey** least they exposed themselves as his enemy.

However lady luck seems to favor the witches from Gensokyou, when Marisa reaching her hand in the pocket, preparing to bring out mini-hakkero, a silver streak slid through the air in zigzag pattern like the movement of a snake, then scores a precise hit in one of the witch's eye, cause it to shrikes out loudly then jumped up in the air again. It's human face on the eye socket seems to turn around everywhere to spot the attacker who ruined its meal, but only metal slitter sound of whatever struck it remains.

"Geez, civilians caught in the barrier?" another voice called out from the dark, a young girl one judging from its tone. Two magicians quickly look back at the place where they just ran away only to spot a lone girl, in her mid-teen judging by her look and height, with dark red hair tied in a large ponytail behind her head with black ribbon, one bright red jewel adorn her chest on what seems to be a cross between red dress and shirt with detached white arm tight sleeves unlike those of Reimu's, a pink skirt with black stocking reaching her thigh, knee height red boot, spears with metal tip as large as her head and a pole longer than her height lay on her shoulder, and the her ruby red predatory eyes that look upon the monstrosity in the sky as if prepare to pounce.

Seems she didn't care about Marisa nor Alice at all since her eyes has always fixed on the witch from the beginning and never looks at them once, however, her dialogue suggest otherwise. "Never mind, I should thanks you two for drawing out this one for me, I tried to finish it off for a few days now." Then she jumped off the ground as the witch just slammed its tongue on the place where she once was, and propelled herself toward her enemy, spear in hand ready to strike.

The witch cannot retract its tongue that struck in the ground back in time to avoid the new arrival's assault, thus a second later, sound of metal pierce through flesh echo upon the wall of the room that witch barrier created when the spear found its way deep into the abomination's tongue next to its mouth. Then the magical girl quickly pulled her spear out and leaped on its skull while the thing is screaming and lashing its wounded tongue up, trying to hit her with it. Also, its hair proved to be able to move on its own, shot out from every angles trying to intercept the rushing puella mid-air.

However, this prove futile as the red puella start swings her spear around while spinning mid-air, releasing its pole into multiple segments connect to each other by chains, effectively turning it into a giant whip that streak across in arc around herself, stopping the monster assault from all direction. The skull witch trying to yank the weapon out of the red girl's hand using its many appendages, but the girl simply charges forward, using the force that the witch trying to pull her weapon to help accelerate toward it.

Then her spear retracts, freeing itself from those that try to bind them, return to its former shape in two hands, the girl then plunged it directly on top of the skull, a 'clang' sound can be heard as if metal collided with metal and the girl quickly jump down from the witch's head, landing all four down on the floor, spear bend backward as if prepare to swing out up front.

The witch lower its head while it's fumbling around trying to regain balance on the only leg it has after the attack that nearly crash it's oversized head down on the ground. And that revealed the point where the puella just struck a moment ago for all to see that it do not have any crack, or any sign of damage for that matter at all.

Before the new arrival could launch herself back at the witch, who still cannot align itself properly to gain balance just yet, another voice called out from certain blonde girl in black and white dress. "Hit the eyes! I think that's its weak point! If not then leg!"

That gave the girl in red an idea which she decided to put it to use instantly, she vanish from her position in a red blur that speeding toward the witch who just regained balance and looking around for its enemy, however it's too late to do anything when a silvery line cut through it slim-fragile leg which is the only support pillar that keep the giant skeleton head off the ground in a flash. The witch plummeted down with a sound as loud as thunder while both Marisa and Alice run away from the ground zero just in time before getting squished.

Somehow, the witch seems to forget that it can fly in the air just a moment before… well, maybe it cannot fly, but just gliding with its aerodynamic defying body… whatever the cause for this behavior the result still the same, that the monstrosity is lying on the ground unable to lift itself off, while the red girl with spear walk up to it.

"Ah… sweet isn't it…" She said in a mocking tone, before she had to sidestep to avoid getting impaled by its hair which acting like tentacles of sort to keep its enemy away. At that she growled. "So, let finish this! **FATALITY! I WIN!"** Then she stab the spear through its eye socket down into its flesh before another strike from the tentacle could reach her in a desperate attempt to defend itself.

A small shriek could be heard by both Marisa and Alice, who watch the fight from about twenty meter away along with Kyubey. The Skull face now emitting a long trail of smoke obscuring vision around it and the puella magi that rescue them, before fading away completely, leaving only one pitch-black grief seed behind next to the girl.

Everyone was silent, not bother to speak at all when the barrier is failing around them, slowly changing back to the bus stop they've been ten… or fifteen minutes before. Both girls got off their feet looking around in surprise that the pedestrian who's waiting for the bus or the one that walking by are not concerned with their sudden appearance, or the other girl, whom seems to transform back to civilian cloth consisting of shorts blue jean and a hooded green jacket before the barrier faded, at all.

The redhead in question took the grief seed in one of her pocket before making a beeline toward Marisa and Alice, who shared an analytical look on their face when staring at the girl before them. When they're just a few arm-lengths away from each other, the girl stopped. Then speak to them. "Oi… what's the problem with you two? Not even thank for the rescue?"

Seeing that the other two won't answer any time soon, the girl pressed forward while looking at the bags they're holding with predatory eyes. "If you do not mind, why not give some of your food to me as thanks huh? I rescue you from getting killed after all…" Still no response except the unnerving stare from Alice, and Marisa who seems to ignore her in favor of looking for a bus to ride home, the girl started to get irritated and nearly shout in the next sentence. "Hey! Are you too shock that the monster are real thing to answer?"

Alice shakes her head a bit, then quickly go with the flow that the other girl just provided. "Sorry, it's just too much to wrap our head around what we just saw, miss…" She trailed off, not know who she was speaking to, prompting the stranger puella magi to frown a little, looks as if trying to decide whether to tell the two oblivious non-magical folks her name or not. While receiving a new stare from the black-white girl which just tore her eyes off the street when it's clear that they miss another bus again to look at her fellow blonde haired friend.

A minute passed, and the redhead seems to reach a decision that telling them her name won't hurt, right? "Kyouko Sakura…" she muttered loud enough for both of them to hear. Then speak louder about serious matters she's discussing. "Well? Shouldn't you thank someone who just saved your life? Money is fine too… nothing is free in this world you know…"

Before Kyoko could speak more, or Alice could introduce herself, another person… well… animal decided to greet her, nearly make her jumped in surprise. _'Your timing is impeccable, Kyoko Sakura, you saved two of them from the witch in time, else it'll be a waste to lose such high potential individuals before their talents getting put to use.'_

"Kyubey…" The redhead looks down at Alice's feet only to find the little white animal walking around and come into view, smile frozen adorn on his face. "What business you have here? And by potential… you couldn't mean these two girls right?" She asks, nearly snarl at the little contractor.

'_Corrected, I can detect an impressive amount of innate magic inside both of them, a refined one at that!'_ Kyubey replies in normal tones, pay no heed to the underlying resentment in Kyoko's voice. _'I'm asking them to become puella magi due to their innate potential, but the witch attacked us first before both of them could finalize their decision.'_ Then he turned toward puppeteer and asks the same question earlier again. _'Now that you have witness the monsters which hidden in the barrier and feed on human, Alice, Marisa, I asks you again, do you want to stand idly and let innocent people…'_ He turns around, as if to address the other pedestrians, or, asks the two girls in front of him to look at them. _'…to get cursed by that thing and suffer and die? If you become puella…'_

His tirade was cut short when the redhead grabbed the back of his neck and lifts him up to meet her not-so-slightly angry stare. "Will you cut the crap and stop sprouting that nonsense to these two?" Then she looks at Alice and Marisa, as if to intimidate the other. "Don't tell me you're thinking of forming a contract with him?"

"Nope! Who wants to go running around in weird outfit fighting monsters when we have many people and jobs to take care of?" Two of them answer in unison, which make Kyoko looks relaxed a little, however she still speak in an inquisitive tone. "You say you got people to care for?" Then she looks at all the ingredients in their bags a bit, then let out a nod of understanding. "I see, quite a big family you've got there."

Of course, being a quite 'homeless one' she was, Kyoko is quite confident in her ability to judge people, no matter what age or what looks they have, you cannot survived by yourself for years without develop such skills. So when Marisa and Alice let out a truth (well, half-truth anyway.) combined with the evidence in their possession, Kyoko could only reach a conclusion that their family must be quite big to need such many food and that the girls in front of her known hardship of life in realities. But she still forgets to throw one big refrigerator into the equation, thus the result.

Marisa quickly replies with a shrug, don't care if Kyoko will misinterpret what amount of things they carry as a supplies for 'big family'. "Yeah, right, told that rabbit in your hand as such, but that thing just decided to crashed the party. And he decided to ask us out again…"

Ruby red eyes glared upon Kyubey for a moment, before turn to address the two girls. "Fine, I won't ask for a treats from you two, else I'll be a villain to many kids waiting for you back home, but with one condition…" She looks around to make sure that Marisa and Alice will have her attention. "No matter how tempting or how fantasy it is, don't become puella magi, I know that your brains seems to be lot older than your bodies…" She looks up and down the two figures, which isn't that much 'developed' than her, then took out grief seed for them to see. "…but just to make sure you know this, no matter what wish you have there, it isn't worth becoming puella magi… trust me…"

Three of them exchange glance at each other, the redhead trying to drill what she said into the mind of newcomers, while the puppeteer trying to decipher what was told to judge that if this puella magi is a special case that know the truth like Oriko or not, and Marisa who's ran her mouth as fast as before. "We'll better accomplish our dreams or whatever with our own strength, Kyoko, it's a matter of pride for us too you know!"

"Hope it stayed that way." Kyouko muttered to herself. A moment later, the bus that pass through district that Mikuni manor located arrived at the bus stop they're standing. The door opened for passengers to get in and out. Alice decided to use this opportunity to get away from the incubator in redhead's grips. "Seems our time is short, Kyoko, we've to go now." She then steps onto the bus, with Marisa let out a goodbye to the redhead. "See ya later, and be safe, oh! Good hunting too!" then darted off right behind her friend.

The bus's door closed then slowly accelerating out from the bus stop, leaving a handful of passengers and one puella, one white rabbit-like creature behind. Kyoko's eyes return to the creature in her hand, glaring at it for a while then speak with a venomous tone. "Don't you dare trying to break a family apart with that twisted wishes of yours again!"

'_You're misunderstand, Kyoko Sakura.'_ Kyubey reply, smiling which only made the redhead twitched her eyebrows in anger. _'The one who made the wishes are human, I just fulfilled it as straight as what they've told me to do, but they're not being honest with the wishes they made, thus they don't get what they're actually wanted.'_

"**Geez, stop it already, no matter what, I don't want another competitors for grief seeds around here and so I won't let you contract them to be a puella while they're still living in the neighborhood and my territory!"** Kyoko shake Kyubey in her hand while yelling out loud to vent the frustration, prospect about two new potential puella magis that, according to Kyubey, could outclassed her if they just contract seems to not have a good impression on her mind, who collected grief seed and drove other magical girls out of territory like a mafia boss at all.

However, she calm herself as she walk away from the bus stop with Kyubey in hand, they seems to be nice people folk who care for their family too much to become witch hunting magical girls whose life had more risks of dying and left other without someone to take care for, and also take prides in accomplished everything by themselves, not miracle. Their voice convincing enough that she hadn't doubt it one bits, well, it has to be, she never wrong before, why should she wrong this time?

And thus, puella magi known as Kyoko Sakura dropped Kyubey off at the amusement park of Kasamino town, then hurried away once the red gem on her ring started to glow, showing that another witch is nearby. While Kyubey, who's now unable to sense the power radiating from Alice and Marisa anymore thanks to the distance, decided to take a trips to nearby town of Mitakahara to contract another girl that has magical potential living there, after their 'partner' mysteriously disappeared from that town en mass.

Another hunt has begun…

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**Author Note**: Regarding Shangha and Hourai, let just say they're near identical and could passed up as twin (Think about it, in canon, Hourai appear in place of Shanghai in Alice's final Lunatic spell card in Perfect Cherry Blossom.), only thing different are their personalities or _suggest personalities_, Shanghai is the cheerful one, while Hourai is the emotionless robot-like one (note: imagine Hourai talk like the Raven in Starcraft 2.).

[1] Witch from Oriko Magica, Chapter 2

As to why I added Kyoko here, because they never told us where she was before she come to the city which Madoka Magica took place, only hints that she once with Mami before thus cannot be that far from the city Mami's in. So I assume that this will be the place she once occupied.

As always, I'm open to comment and suggestions. leave a comments if you've something to say Okay?

See you next chapter.

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**PS**: Oh, and by the way, anyone here ever finished** 'I Wanna be the Guy'** yet? For me, I'm struck at **"The Guy"** himself for around two years already, don't have time to try finish him off yet.

Oh, well, at least I've bested the fruits, spikes and moon to get there anyway.


	6. Chapter 5: I Wanna Fly in the Sky!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 5: I Wanna Fly in the Sky!**

While Marisa and Alice go out shopping for food, the unmoving great library did not sit still inside the comfort of the bound field surrounding Mikuni household at all. Instead, she moved herself into the library of the house, brought with her the grief seeds collected from the last battle on this very home's courtyard, then she select one of the large table in that room and sat there, paper piles stack up near her along with magnifiers, safety pins, pen, even dozens of translucent bottles containing some strange liquid which cannot see properly through the glass also presents there.

Oriko watch with interest from another chair while the purple haired witch start inspecting the grief seeds, or the witch's crystalized soul with the magnifier, before she put it away then activating some small magic circle of unknown pattern around it, eyes closed as if in trance, trying to feel something that can't be seen or whatnot. Then she sighs, putting down magnifier, power down magic circle, and start writing something on the paper that pulled out from the stack.

"Er…" Oriko tried to start conversation, but unsure how to. "Was there something that I can help?"

Patchouli still busy writing, not even look up from the paper, though Oriko feel a little annoyed at being ignored, she's quite calm and not voice her complain out loud just yet due to her experience with her father, who's also had the same habit of ignore everything around him once he found something interesting or warrant his attention. Even though her feeling for the man's betrayal still linger caused her pain in her heart, she still also knew that _Patchouli is not that man_.

Her patience paid off five minutes later, when Patchouli finished writing whatever in there, she rolled up the paper into a scroll-like form, tucked away in her robe, then turn to Oriko and speaks. "Sorry for keep you waiting, this 'Grief Seeds' are something I've never seen before, much to study." She pauses for a moment. "Now, what do you want to speak with me?"

Oriko gulp, then decide to speak about subjects that's dedicate for the girl in front of her while bowing her own head to emphasis her seriousness. "I know that Marisa spoke about this yesterday, I know that I may get a bit over my head by saying this. But please, I ask you again to help teaching me to become true magician like three of you! I know your time on this world is limited and not all knowledge can be learn in such short time, I know that my own life has been cursed to be… not to be human… forever by the contract, but I promise I'll learn as much as I could, at least…"

Her tirade cut short when Patchouli stood up, unreadable expression on her face, especially when this room is not well lit by light it's even more ominous to the point that young girl couldn't help but shake a little, thinking about what drove her to spoke out to an accomplished magician like that.

Two of them continue to gaze into each other's eyes for full two minute until Patchouli decided to break the silence. "It's not necessary to asks us again, Oriko…" She pause to let the words sink in before continue. "When Marisa said that she will teach you, she means it. I, also Alice, accept that you passed the test too if Marisa allowed you to passed."

Oriko is left speechless, feeling happy and proud that she was truly accepted, if her expression is anything to go by. However Patchouli paid no heeds to that and slowly walks toward the library's exit, then she turned to address her 'new apprentice'. "Come, we better get you to practice something first… until those two come back to cook some meal that is."

"Er… Am I interrupting your study if you're to teach me now?" Oriko hesitantly asks, thinking that she might interrupt other's research making her unable to concentrate on the subjects at hand.

Patchouli stare at her for a moment, and answer with little smile. "No, not quite like it, it's just that I've never got a good grasp about how things on this world works, especially the way you use your magic." She pointed at the ring on Oriko's hand, then continue. "I still cannot understand why using magic… well, **'instant magic expert package' that** those incubator granted would bring corruption to the user's soul and turning them into witches… not many magic systems that I knew of could do that… and all of them involved altering the brainwave pattern by magic energy in some ways or another, certainly cannot transform the user's into monster like this."

"So you want to train me, and seeing how I use my magic at the same time?" Oriko stared at her own soul in hand, while making a guess about magician's intention.

"Indeed…" replies Patchouli, who started to walk, forcing Oriko to follow. "During the battle yesterday, all of us are focusing on witches and their capabilities." She frowns, since as Marisa said, calling those witches is massively inaccurate thanks to their meddling with the 'bait'. "Those witches used magical energy that I cannot figure out what it was, studying their grief seed also net the same result… for now…" She tilted her head as if the thought that she, the century old magician whose knowledge far exceed mere human in department of magic, has just shame herself for cannot discover this mysteries right away.

However she didn't let that thought bother her for long so she continues on the subjects regarding Oriko instead. "…And I cannot get a good look at you when you used your magic, thus I'm thinking that the missing links must lies somewhere between the 'magical girls' and the 'witches'." Now they reach the hall, prompt Patchouli to stop walking. "So I think training you to use magic more properly might give some insight to that knowledge, more or less, even it doesn't, you'll be able to fend for your own in time of need…"

"I see…" was all that Oriko can say, looking around the hall and see nothing different than yesterday, and Patchouli didn't do anything look like magic at all started to make her curious as what she's supposed to do and stared at the magician in the center of the hall with questioning look.

It didn't take long before Patchouli catch on, she cough once and answer her apprentice. "Now, first, I'm going teach you how to fly." With that word, she also started lifting herself in the air as if to demonstrate. "It might look easy, but I assure you that in truth it's not." She continues.

"Huh?" That's it? Oriko thought, disappointment look clear on her face, and she couldn't control herself but asks. "Flying? How this can be useful, I mean… not that I'm not satisfied or demanding, but we puella magi all have limited magic due to corruption the soul gem takes when using it, and I don't think that we can fly without constantly draining that reserve, unlike you who don't have to worry about the corruption."

Patchouli raises eyebrows as if her question was stupid, then she assure her apprentice once she recalled the event yesterday. "Then I ask you this Oriko…" That had Oriko's attention on the elder one instantly. "I saw you fight yesterday where you jumped from 'improvised platforms' to another constantly to avoid its self-destruct. Did you notice at all that you jumped farther and higher than normal human could? Please, 20 meters apart at the shortest? I doubt any human could jump that far without any forms of assistance."

It dawned on Oriko immediately what Patchouli trying to say, she just used magic to jump and maneuvering obstacles without realizing it at all! And that made her know now why her soul gem took that much corruption from just a single fight despite she's certain that the three magicians used more power than her! That many lasers spam or giant exploding fireball couldn't use less energy than summoning finger-size marbles isn't it? "True that flying DOES required MORE magic… or energy to sustain yourself or objects in mid-air than jumping around." Patchouli explains. "But there're more advantages if we're able to fly in combat. I think you should know this already from the last battle."

Yes, Why she shouldn't know it, she saw herself struggle not to fall down the bottomless pit that the damn witch decided to create as part of their barrier, while the three magician just flying around without hassle, if those witches just gang up on her, or that robot-dinosaur thing didn't have stupidity to fire that huge missile, she would be already dead due to have no place to dodge. And she didn't have to think hard to know that moving in three dimensions versus two dimensions who will hold the advantage, two words in military 'air superiority' says it all.

But then a feeling of dread also washed over the grey haired puella once all her knowledge regarding science kick in, there a lots, and lots of problem involve flying, airplanes or helicopter might made it looks simple, for someone who don't know the concept behind it. Being a hard-study hard-working as to meet her father's standard finally pay off for Oriko, and know exactly what she's about to face should she try to fly by herself, and her magic…

Suddenly Oriko feels something on her shoulder, she turns to look at it and knew that it's Patchouli's hand, seems she hover close to Oriko who stood at her place in silent without her knowing at all. "You're spacing out, what you are daydreaming about?" was what Patchouli asks when her attention returned to her new teacher.

Oriko's face reddens a bit, before gaze down on the floor, not bother to look at her soon-to-be mentor. She apologizes. "I'm sorry, Miss Patchouli, I'm just thought about how near impossible it would be to fly by magic... or by human shaped object… at least…"

Patchouli silences for a second, looking at Oriko as if a teacher would to a student. "The only limitation of magic…" Patchouli speaks in serious and stern manner. "…is your own creativity and dedications, Oriko… as I've said… no,… we have said many times before… and are you going to go back on your words yesterday? That you wish to find your purpose, your future?"

Those words stung in puella's mind hard. She looks up on Patchouli, determinations shone in her neon-green eyes like fire. That makes Patchouli's expression soften without saying a single word to the magician, who speaks with slight admiration in her voice. "Good. That's what I wanted to see… *cough*…"

Oriko suddenly rushed to Patchouli's side when the older girl dropped flight attitude down a little following that cough as if she's going to collapse. "No,… I'm fine… just normal asthma… not much… I can handle it…" Patchouli stated when her apprentice tried to prop her up despite she didn't drop to the ground yet. Prompt the younger one to slowly back away a few steps.

Oriko started to wonder how did this ill magician could fight so effectively in combat as demonstrated yesterday, but she tugged it aside when said magician gently touched down on the floor on two feet and started her lesson. "Now Oriko, before you try to fly, drop all common sense that 'human cannot fly' or something like that out of your mind first, it'll make this lesson much easier."

A light erupt for millisecond, once it died down, Patchouli look at her apprentice appeared in a magical girl's attire before make another comment. "Try to control your magic output, thinking that you can fly and you wanted to fly is the most basic. However, there's another thinking method, and that involved science a bit, thinks of magic as a force applied to your body in various points and directions, try to direct your magical power as such to balance yourself in mid-air. Use the method you see fit most, better experiment on both."

"Now,… try to match my height" With that word, Patchouli suddenly rise up from the ground and hover about two meter above, glancing down Oriko as if to dare her apprentice to rise up and try to match her success.

Oriko closes her eyes, one hand touching her forehead as if concentrating, before she slowly lift off from the floor to the same level that her teacher currently floating, even then, it still took her almost a minute to started lifting up. Her eyes widen with joy and surprise the moment her feet leave the ground. But once she's next to her teacher, she hesitantly looks at her bright blue soul gem, as if worry that the corruptions would build up rapidly from magic that sustain her mid-air.

As if she could read her mind, Patchouli chuckle a little while speaks. "Don't worry about corruption of your soul, if needed, we'll set a baiting charm again, but it'll not supercharge like previous one so that incident is out of the question. I assure you, we'll have more than enough grief seeds to throw around until I can figure out something to counteract it. For now, focus on flying…"

At that statement Oriko realized that the path ahead of her will be rough, and she was now fully committed herself in for a very wild and unpredictable ride.

* * *

Four hour later, Oriko exhausted, lying on the ground in her white dress of magical girl, regretted thinking around those unpleasant lines four hours ago. Who know that using magic would also deplete your supplies of calories as well aside from generating corruption on her soul! Well, that, or just her hunger from not having breakfast is taking a toll. In fact, after Patchouli told her to stop, her corruption's progress is nowhere near the level she had yesterday! Her soul gem just barely dimmed after the lesson if she's not looking closely! Now she feels really hungry and wishes that Marisa and Alice will get back home faster so she can quickly put up some meals to eat.

Meanwhile, on the ground next to her, Patchouli is writing something in her notebook that pulled out of her cloth, for the past hour, she just ran her ragged with basic aerial maneuver, nothing near the stunt they pulled during the yesterday battle at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite, just practice moving in every direction adjusting form, speed, precision and reaction. However, Oriko hardly disappointed, since she knew how hard it is to fly around once she just started moving more than up and down, never mind those fancy movements her teacher and friends pulled off, she doubt how long before she can do those dogfight like her teacher. But to be positive, becoming a flight-capable puella magi while none of the puella magi who did not wish specifically to fly cannot fly is an advantage enough.

It was then that Patchouli moves up next to her, book and pen in her hand disappeared, replaced by two glasses of water she seems to get from the kitchen, but when? However as if she knew what she was asking, Patchouli pointed at the doll servants that Alice left behind to do chore around her house that's currently moving out toward the kitchen with a tray.

Oriko understand what the magician's meant without saying a word, thus she thanks Patchouli, then emptied the glass in seconds to quells her thirst and hunger, albeit just temporary. She looks up at her mentor, who also drank her own share of water down her throat and cough a little, curiosity get the better of her again and thus she asks a bit hesitantly. "Master Patchouli…"

Violet eyes gaze upon her in the instant with a question mark, while the magician speaks back. "Please just called me Patchouli, no need to add honorific… well, what do you want to ask?"

After given the chance, Oriko align herself to face her teacher like good students should be, soul gem in hand up front for Patchouli to see. "Why four hours of continuous magic using has not corrupted my soul gem as bad as the last fight? I doubt that flying will use less magical power to sustain than jumping around…"

Patchouli seems to look interested, she quickly take the sapphire blue crystalized soul with small taint from her apprentice's hand, who gave it to her willingly despite it's practically _her soul_, and brought up a magnifier to get a better look on it. Or seems to senses something that cannot be seen by normal human's eyes from it.

A few minute passed, Oriko's stomach started to rumble again, looks like the water she drank is not sufficient to sates the hunger longer than a minute now. However that protest went on a deaf ear as Patchouli carefully place soul gem back on her hand and slowly speaks. "I have only a theory…" She closed her eyes as if to recall something then says. "When you're consciously giving command to the flow of magic power inside you directly, you assert the energy output you needed at the absolute minimum."

"How's that different from instinctively doing it?" Oriko still don't understand.

"When you're about to fall down, for example, your instinct will force all available energy out to counteract the gravitational force, regardless how much excess it may be… thus required another force to counteracts that excess force you put up again stop you from shooting upward…" Patchouli explains. "While when you're consciously flying, you know how much gravitational force is acting against you and counteracts it with the exact force required, or F=ma. In short, your energy consumption become more efficient thus required less magic power."

Oriko ponder that theory a bit while walking down the hall toward the front door, Patchouli next to her. Then she nods. "It sounds plausible, Master Patchouli."

"Please, I've told you many times already, don't call me that. Just my name is enough…" Patchouli replied with a small smile and a pale red on her cheek, feels a little proud of herself to get a nice apprentice for herself, well, her and her fellow magicians' apprentice, which she has no doubt that those two will also help teaching this young girl into a better magi as well.

The teacher and apprentice walk out of the house into the light of afternoon sun, crossing vast rose garden toward the main gate to await the return of their companion. It was then that the trouble struck as Oriko suddenly remembered that she didn't purify her soul gem just yet after the practice. However, the entire stockpiles are with Patchouli, somewhere in her hyperspace arsenal (seems this's a common spell shared by every 'true witches': Oriko thought.) including the one she used yesterday, thus she asks her teacher for it when they're out of the bound field, on the empty walkway in front of her house.

"I see…" Patchouli replied then pull out the grief seed she used yesterday out from the robe and handed it to Oriko, but then the puella seems hesitant, prompt her to speak sagely. "Nothing's wrong… and as the war veteran should say… 'Always prepare for the unexpected.' If the enemies choose to strike now, you won't have to worry about corruption."

At those words, Oriko took the black orb, which seems to blacken more than she first retrieved it yesterday thanks to already used it to purify her soul gem once, from Patchouli then held it near the sapphire blue jewel adorn her collar. (The street is empty except some buses, no one in those houses lining the street, and truth to be told, it's just looks like normal dress, thus she didn't de transform yet.)

The pitch-black fog started to flow from her gem into the grief seed, while Patchouli looking at it intensely, until the last ounce of the darkness that tainted her soul is removed, that thing started to go wrong…

The cursed item in Oriko's hand suddenly emitting a dark fog which pours down to the ground they stood, expanding outward at a rapid state, while Oriko release her grip at the black orb as if it heated up to untouchable state and Patchouli just stare in surprise. The orb did not follow the rule of gravity that governed this earth, instead it shoot upward a dozen meters in the air. And then, a wave of darkness consumes them, vanished from the real world…

Into the witch's barrier once more…

* * *

Meanwhile, Alice and Marisa just drop off from the bus at the district when the suddenly feel a chill running down their spines, as if something terrible is rearing its head to threaten them, combined with the pulse of foul, tainted magical power that expanded from the direction of Mikuni household, both of them turn toward that direction and rush there as fast as possible.

"I thought our baiting charm is all inactive!" Marisa shouts. "And we have those many stockpiles to last weeks, what's Patchouli's thinking?"

"Your guess is as good as mine…" Alice replies, never once slow down her speed. "I don't think its Patchouli's doing, she may be curious, but she also has a firm grasp in theory more than to try dangerous experiment! And before you suggest Oriko, I doubt she'll know more than what she told us, she just recently join those thing's ranks after all."

"Well, no point in guessing anymore… here we are!" Marisa cut the conversation when they arrived at the main gate of their 'base of operation', however, once they stepped on the floor next to the gate itself, a glowing mark shine from the tile beneath their feet, activating some sort of magic, and then both of them disappeared into the witch barrier as well.

Once inside, the two magicians suddenly found themselves on the endless green grass field below the expansive evening clear sky despite it was just afternoon outside, well it should be clear sky, except the film running up and down in the background as if it connected to the cartridge somewhere, that… and the dark purple beams looks as if they were made by clay occasionally streaking from the ground toward the sky trying to hit the lone white-light-blue thing that flying at high speed and perform many aerial maneuvers to dodge or shake off 'girl in dress' figures made of purple mud or something like that that chasing and shooting at it.

From her point of view, Alice could see clearly that occasionally the white-blue will retaliate by shooting small blue ball that gleaming in the light toward the pursuing enemies, which hardly miss since they clustered behind the target. The unfortunate purple-mud-girl explodes in a gooey fireball each time those projectiles struck home. However they're just keeps spawning out from one spot, which Alice and Marisa quickly take a look at.

There, a sickly blue transparent blob surrounding the mass that is a giant human brain the size of small car with ribbon, of all thing!, strapped to the side as if it was strapped to a human hair, with a lot of artery-like structures rooted it to the grassy ground, where the purple-mud like girl are spawning non-stop and the brain itself is shooting laser beam out toward the target in the sky.

Marisa know instantly that she's looking right at the witch, and the white-blue object it's targeting was, surprisingly, Oriko… who seems to just learned how to fly from Patchouli already, thus she dropped the bag holding many supplies they brought from the market on the ground, ready to pull her mini-hakkero out to start battle, only for the voice of their friend that shouting across the grassland tell her to stop.

"Wait! Don't fight it! Marisa, Alice!" Patchouli seems to use all the air in her lung just to make that statement, because the moment both of the turn to their back, they found that she has dropped to the ground on her knee, panting heavily, prompt them to quickly rushed to her side leaving Oriko to deal with the brain abomination alone for a while.

"Hey Patchy… seems you could have a better day than this…" Marisa asks jokingly while try her best to help Patchouli stand up since the ill magician seems unable to run, let alone fly, and they're in front of the dangerous enemy to boot! Granted it doesn't paying attention toward three of them at the moment but who's to say that it won't suddenly try to kill them instead of Oriko?

However Alice is more straightforward about what's happening so she just waited until all of them are on their feet and start backing away from the monster that she asks Patchouli. "What happen? Why the witch assault our base?"

Patchouli silence for a moment, trying to catch her breathes while Marisa quickly follows up with another question of her own. "And why do you stop me from Master Spark it? At this rate we might lure another magical girl… puella… bah… whatever that incubator called it, here! We already found by one of those creepy rabbit already you know!"

Patchouli held out her hand to stop Marisa from speaking more than that, her face still red from exhaustion but she try to explain nonetheless. "We're… outside of our… bound field… at the moment… I can't… guarantee… that no one will… found us here…"

Alice quickly catches on what her friend trying to say and nod in understanding, but she still have to explain it to the black-white next to her, who seems unsatisfied with the answer and about to interrogate Patchouli further while they're hiding behind a tall grass nearly thirty meter away from the witch. "Seriously Marisa, do you forget that now we're not in the bound field of our house? And that other puella, or worse, Kyubey, can get into this barrier? If they saw us what's going to happen?"

Marisa going to retort, but the sound of explosion cut her word short and attract their attention toward to source. And found out that somehow dozens of purple-mud-girls pursuer in the air had disintegrated into many tiny small bits of purple mess raining down from the sky. The brain-like tree that stem from the ground started growling angrily (wonder how it make a sound despite being just a brain: thought Patchouli) while shooting laser from… somewhere? Trying once again to knock Oriko down, and it seems to have some success when the many beam of its minions started to boxed her in, cutting down her escape routes! And then the brain witch glow purple, prepare to unleash some sort of attack at the puella who's still occupied by its minions' attack.

However its deathblow missed by meters away thanks to a huge tip of spear that jammed right into its artery which suspended it over the ground, tilting it to the side due to the force of the strike. Then its assailant backflip, pulling the spear out with her at such speed that she became a red blur to normal human eyes, except Marisa, Alice and Patchouli who stand at the sideline watching the entire thing happened, (Well, if they cannot track something moving just a bit 'above average' fast like this, how can you dodge the hailstorm of bullets back in Gensokyou?) seeing that it was a pony-tailed girl in red who came to the rescue.

"Dang it, are you guys witches magnet? Not even an hour apart and you two ended up in a witch barrier again?" Of course, the voice belong to none other than Kyoko Sakura, who gracefully landed in front of three magicians, spear slammed into the ground next to her watching the witch moaning in pain, she turn toward the three and sigh. "Seriously, you owe me two now… well… can you give me a treat when all this over?"

But it looks like that the brain do not want the redhead puella to have a chitchat considered what she just done to it, the roar of vengeance echo through the air herald the charge of its minions toward the four people on the ground, ignore Oriko in the sky completely, who manage to used that opportunity to mow down the remaining pursuers that devoid of reinforcement. While Kyoko just growl in frustration that she could not finish the conversation and has to turn back into the fray.

"Fine!" She snorts, swinging her spear to smash the front most minions into purple paste. "If you wanna play with me that much, then ya better prepare to cough out your grief seed for me!" Then she conjures some sort of ward which consisted of rows upon rows red tiles linked together like a chain standing between witch and the group, then speaks to the three magicians. "Know this that I'm not helping you three for free…"

At that moment Marisa seems to run out of patience and cut the redhead short by her own shout. "Well, would you stop talking and help the girl in the air killing that thing already?" As to emphasis her words, she points her finger up to the air behind the brain creature, causing Kyoko to look in that direction and spotted Oriko, who just shoot the last minion down from the sky and hovering up in the air mowing down the minions that the brain trying to summon out around itself to replenish its forces with her hailstorm of marbles, drawing its attention away from the group to save itself.

Kyoko snorts at the sight of competitor (for grief seed.) "Gee… another puella? Rookie it seems… even her power to fly… but with such clear shot, death from above, why the hell she not aims for the goddamn witch instead wasting time on familiars like that? Well, her loss, my gain then…"

"Do you think we'll survive this long without the girl's help?" Patchouli quips back at Kyoko, who just shrug and seems not care about helping Oriko at the moment at all, like she was waiting for the witch to exhaust first before making a move, so she explains her observation while pointing at the minions that keep coming out of the ground non-stop. "And don't you see that the minions are protecting the witch from that girl's barrage?"

True to the pajama wearing girl's words, the minions are not attacking at all, instead they threw themselves into the line of fire absorbing hits meant for their master, understandable, by the time it take to fly to the sky and engage Oriko, their master would likely died from the barrage before they could fire a single shot, thus the current stalemate is more to the witch self-preserving instinct than a clever plan, since energy is not infinite, and the witch is started to exhaust, if the lack of beam attack from it is an indication, unless it get nutrient from killing and absorb another human's soul it'll never regenerate fast enough to match the expense in battle. But Oriko still has another grief seed she got from Patchouli shortly before take to the air to lure the witch away from her teacher.

It would be a war of attrition ended in Oriko's victory, even without Kyoko's interference. However, since Kyoko is here for the grief seed the brain witch drop, thus, stealing the kill in close combat while the other is further away will guarantee that she could grab it before her fellow do.

And thus Kyoko dash toward the witch, who has been too distracted by Oriko's barrage from the sky to notice its enemy, closing in for the kill.

But everything is far from perfect, the moment the red blur of other puella magi enter her line of sight, Oriko know instinctively that if she keep the barrage up, she might ended up hurting someone who just coming to help her. Of course, she couldn't have known the skills of other, nor using clairvoyance to predict the outcome in the heat of battle like this. In fact, she has started to show sign of restrain the use of such ability since the three magicians call her out on it. And she agreed to their reasoning, thus she didn't use it at all the entire battle up until now.

But whatever the reason is, the result are the same, that Oriko stop shooting in afraid of hitting other girl, unknown that the other can dodge her attack just fine. Thus the witch suddenly free to send its minions at both of them while itself firing a laser straight at the redhead charging, force her to sidestep then backflip away when the purple beam from minions slammed down on the ground she should've been if not taking evasive maneuver.

"Sh..t…" Kyoko swear out of her breath while stab her spear into one of the witch's minion's torso, cause it to explode into a purple goo, and yell out toward Oriko who's currently resume dogfight against the minion in the sky once more. "What the hell are you thinking to stop distracting it! I nearly got her! You…" She then has to cut her word short thanks to another staff wielding minion that take the chance to charge on her from behind, trying to stabs her.

The redhead twist herself out of the line of attack, cause the staff to miss its mark completely before Kyoko return the favor to the undefended side of it, but her victory is short live however, as more and more of witch minions are crawling out of the ground without pause, some shoot upward to assist their friends in the sky, even though it'll cause some friendly fire. While another charge at Kyoko to keep her occupied, giving a chance for the witch, who has one artery severed, to slowly limping toward the three, undefended girls who stay away from combat, thinking that by devour their soul will sate its hunger and heal it back to full strength.

In truth Kyoko could care less about someone getting eaten by the witch, but that's the case of both parties, namely her, and her target are all at full capacity, and said victim is just nobody without anything remarkable, getting killed won't affect their combat performance that much. But this witch is clearly near death, ripe for the taking, and she will be damn if she let it get back to full power by killing and devouring bystanders' soul, two of which according to the damn rabbit, contained so much magical power that'll outclassed most puella magi only if they sign the damn contracts. And thus the reason that witches target them, after all, if they have potential to become very strong magical girls, the reverse also true for the witch who devour them either!

"Damn… You… GET OUT OF MY WAY!" She shouts and swings her spear in an arc, broken its shaft into segments linked by chains, extend the reach further more than three meters which sweep all the minions assaulting her out in one swoop, purple droplets scattered about, pouring down around her like a cursed rain. But it's not important, she quickly dash toward the lumbering beast trying to catch up with it before it could catch up with the meal.

And luck seems to favor her when those three are not idiots who sit still too shock to move like those many bystander she came across during her magical girl career, instead, they run away from the giant brain witch all the time that she's busy slaughtering the minions, albeit slowly considered that now not only they still carrying whatever shopping bags from the last time she saw them, which is just not even an hour apart, but they also has another dead weight added in a form of that purple pajama girl who seems to have some sort of illness if the cough she let out and the amount of panting she's doing is any indication. Thus it's only a matter of time that the giant thing will caught them and eat them.

But it's not going to happen here, if Kyoko has seen the target, she will not let it escape or get away so easily…

With a loud cry, the redhead leaps nearly five meter into the air, sailing toward the giant brain head who's only interest in sating its hunger to noticed that its assailant had finish off its minions already, however, its survival instinct still intact and fully operational, so it quickly halt it limp and turn toward the noise source when Kyoko's spear is just a meter away from skewering its cerebellum, the transparent blob of blue that surrounding its brain glow dimly reflecting its weaken nature, but still strong enough that the redhead's thrust cannot penetrate its now activated armor and bounce off.

"Damn!…" Kyoko curse the monster while trying to right herself on the ground after being bounced back nearly a meter while the witch started to glow purple yet again, even it looks weaken than the blast that try to knock Oriko earlier, Kyoko isn't going to take a chance to test it out, so the logical move for her is to run the hell away from the firing line!

And it does save her live second later when the shot just burnt off the grassland in their path, turning the green scenery into the scorched earth, with the sound of explosion from the far side of the barrier. Kyoko quickly rush to its flank before it could fire another shot, leaping onto it to try a second attack on its brain, but the effort still futile when the membrane around the monster shift to counter her thrust attack yet again.

"Why won't you die?" Kyoko growled in annoyance that, while already weaken, the witch still manage to resist her attack on its main body twice now. She side step again to avoid another strike from its minion before skewer it in return, at that moment however, the witch let out a howling cry, purple beam miss Kyoko by a millimeter! She turns to see the offending witch that tried to take advantage from her moment of distraction, but instead she found that the brain's membrane has been punctured. Black smoke oozing out from many wound on the upper head of the brain while the brain itself swinging around wildly in pain.

Kyoko only grasp a brief vision of girl in white dress hovering down from the air behind the witch, marbles gleaming between her fingers, before the girl in question throw it into the defenseless artery of the witch, puncture more hole into it, cause more black smoke to spray out blocking her from the redhead's view. It was then that Kyoko berated herself for standing idly in the middle of a fight, thus trying to make up for it by twisting her spear in position and charge the witch in a flash of red bolt.

The attack strike true, the witch, now too weak to defend against the onslaught between two puella magi take the spear right in the frontal lobe when it tried, unsuccessfully, to charge up a last desperate laser attack on Kyoko, which proved too slow. The light blue transparent membrane explode outward, expose the damaged brain to the environment which it bleed black smoke rapidly all over the place, and finally the brain itself disintegrate into the black smoke, leave the black grief seed behind.

The barrier fell as quickly as it had erected, five girls suddenly found themselves standing next to each other, back to the front gate of the Mikuni manor once again.

With a quick swipe, Kyoko, who's now back into civilian attire, grabs the grief seed and shoved it next to her soul gem in another hand, cause Oriko, who standing next to her, still in magical girl's dress, to stared eyes wide in horror before shouting out "Wait! Don't use it!"

"Huh?" Kyoko shot a quick glance at the grey hair girl as if she just noticed her presence, before asking in annoying voice. "What do ya want? I've got my hand on this first, so this's mine… and…" She looked carefully at the sapphire on Oriko's collar before continue. "Your soul gem is still fine for another fight… c'mon, early bird catch the prey, if you're going to survive, you must fight"

Oriko's face red with anger, but that thought take back seat when there's something more important right next to her. "It's not that, but that when I used that seed… it turned into the one that we fought just minutes ago!" She looks at the small object, suspicion and wary evident in her neon-green eyes, as if it'll turn back into the monstrosity at any moment.

"What!?" was all Kyoko could say, quickly withdraw the gem from the seed. "What a waste of time! And you, have you lost your mind to overused one grief seed!" She point at Oriko, who blink innocently at the accusation, while other three people just watch the firework unfold, unsure how to help their newfound friend without exposing their secret.

Seeing that the other girl look just as innocently as a newbie, Kyoko sigh before her expression harden back again. "So… you're just thinking that just one seed will keep you safe for the rest of your life? Kid, this world isn't that kind ya know!"

Oriko just stood there, working her mouth like trying to say something but nothing come out, seems not know what to say, so Kyoko just keep sending barrage after barrage of words toward her newfound. 'Competitor for grief-seed' "And for me, even if I have a grief seed I won't share it to you! This world is about survival of the fittest so don't come begging for one, oh and I'm a lone wolf so don't expect to shake hand with me, if you can't keep up with it, you just disappear from my sight."

It was that moment that Kyoko feel small hand coming down on her cheek, hard enough to nearly send her flying had not for the magical girl's status that made her tougher than average human girl. She quickly regain footing, look angrily at the offending hand only to found that it was Marisa's, who now had both hands on her hip, golden eyes narrows with equally anger. "Hey! Trying to keep it short will you? And what's with that attitude, she just hold that thing out till you get there to finish the job, else we three won't talking to you right now!"

"She cause the problem equally as she tried to save it Missy! Get it in your head!" Kyoko retort. "And she was right in my hunting ground! Territory if you want a shorter term! I won't let some head start puella to hunt for witches in my place understood?"

Marisa work her mouth trying to say something, but Alice come to her side and shot a look at her to keep her mouth shut, least something that they shouldn't supposed to know will slip up, then she trying to defuse the situation. "There, there, no need to fight over this… thing? She hasn't asks anything from you at all, and we lived together with her so if you want a treat, you should stop right now, Miss Kyoko, because…"

The redhead turn toward the blonde puppeteer, eyes narrow dangerously before interrupt what Alice's about to says. "What? You say you two lived with her?" Then she points at Oriko, which confirmed her suspicion when the older girl nods once. But that make her follow up with another question. "How the hell do you lived with puella and not knowing about Kyubey? Are you lying to me at that time in the town?"

Alice's face unfazed by the accusation, she cross her arms, blue eyes looking at Kyoko sharply makes her unconsciously step back a little. "And you, where are your parents? Did they aware of what you're doing, running around fighting monster instead of going to school?" She throw the question back at puella, who's eyes widen in disbelief that the elder one hit her sore spot dead on, even her facial expression seems to says that she doesn't know that yet! And to be franks, Alice _did_ have a point, her father didn't aware of what she's doing until she told him, which leads to disaster later on.

But then again, she just knew that they're straying out from the topic, thus she try to pull the conversation back. "You says what? Right, what about this Ojou?"

"She's…" Patchouli, who has been ignored for almost the entire conversation, explains calmly as if expecting this. "…the landlord of the house we currently resided, while we're doing our business in Mitakahara, she'll take care of the living of our… family..."

Kyoko stared at the pajama girl with surprise, and then laugh herself off while berating the group, throwing the elephant in the mist of them that is 'A girl that young is a landlord and also a puella magi' out of the window in the process. "Bwa ha ha ha, then it seems you booked your homestay a bit too far from your destination." Unaware of the scowl on Marisa's face, she continues. "This's Kasamino town, about 40 kilometers from the town you're intended to go, but considering that you've brought that much food…" She looks at the bag they collected after battle bitterly. "Seems you guys are just unlucky to have to rest here with your family eh… moving that much people will be hard…"

She then turned, prepare to leave, but not before speaking to Oriko one last time. "I wish I could fly too, what a convenient ways of travelling, and my witch-hunting would be much easier. Why newbie always get the cool stuff from their wishes is up in the air… whatever… do not show your face around here…" the last sentence sounds like a death threat more than anything. "Go with those girl to find witches to hunt at that town, I doubt puella there will care about that." She decided to not add that she knew who the residence puella magi in Mitakahara was and it's easy if she was to asks her to cooperate with newbie, or even train her a bit.[2] "Or just ask this two…" she point her thumb at Marisa and Alice. "to act as bait for their rental, hell, the witch that don't even rears its ugly head for months quick to hit this two the moment they step foot into my hunting ground. Oh, and don't overuse one grief seed, or you'll resurrect the witch just like today. When it's full, hand them to Kyubey."

Before she could go, Marisa decided to ask out of goodwill, halting her in place. "Wait, would you like to eat with us? I think I heard that you're asking for our food earlier?"

Kyoko glance at the bag with hunger in her eyes, then turn away to prevent the other four girls from seeing them and shout in anger. "I've told you, I may be a jerk to the like of this missy magical girl…" She points her thumb at Oriko without turning to look at her. "But I still have my own standard, I don't like being a villain who stole food from little kids, got it? So see ya…" then she quickly stomping her feet away from them, supposedly back to the town, and disappeared from their sight.

After Kyoko was surely outside of their earshot and eyesight, Oriko invite everyone to go back into the manor first, not her suggestion, but Patchouli's, who cite the reason that incubator may appear at any moment to check on magical signatures emitted by both parties. (Quite lucky that Kyoko didn't ask us where we're staying at too: Alice spoke.)

Once in the safety of stealth bound field and comfort of the living room inside the manor, Patchouli quickly lay down on sofa, tired by running away from witch thanks to her habit of never exercise or do any physical training before, while Marisa and Alice moved into the kitchen to unload food and ingredients into the fridge and prepare something for the magician and puella magi to eat.

A few moments later, Oriko also joined with her first teacher, plop down the sofa next to her, sapphire blue soul gem cleansed by another grief seed that Patchouli handed to her prior, her face looking sad for some reason. Then she speaks out, shame in her voice. "I'm sorry, Master Patchouli, if not for my incompetent, we would've finished that battle much faster and not exposed ourselves to other… magical girls… and lost our hard-earned grief seed too… I…"

Her words died down in her throat once her first magical teacher held her hand up front as a sign to stop, then she slowly speaks in sincere voice. "You've done nothing wrong, Oriko… apart from breaking the promise not to called me 'Master Patchouli' that is…" She smiles a little, amused at the twitching eyebrows of her newfound student. "… Joking aside, I've to commend that you've fly well, for the first-timer like you. And good fight without our assistance as well."

"I don't think I could accept that praise." Oriko mutters, unsure of herself. "I mean, I can't even really hurt that thing until the red magical girl showed up to help me…"

"But you still dodge that witch's third-rate barrage without so much a scratch or clips in your dress." Patchouli countered, cause Oriko to looks at her teacher only to see that she was serious. "… You're certainly better than many rookie magicians that we've met back at our home. Two-third of them mostly froze in panic when thrust into battle, and resulted in their defeats." She refrained from expand her explanation further that in Gensokyou, battle are just sports since nobody dies. Just know that panic leads to defeat are more than enough.

"Besides…" Patchouli continues. "Even we lost one seed, albeit a useless in purification one, it certainly help progress of my research and understanding of the magic system you're using."

Oriko perk up at that words, she looks at Patchouli with small glint of hope in her eyes. After all, when knowing the full extents of contract, who wouldn't wish they could avoid such tragic fate awaited them? Who will not question their conscience if forming the contract is the right thing to do when you'll become what you're fighting in the end? What they're fighting for?

However, she still know all too well that the progress of discovery will take time, so she didn't disappoint much when Patchouli, who saw her hopeful looks, shakes her head and speaks. "No, not enough to reverts the transformation nor end the contract in the girls' favor, but the puzzle is slowly clearing up, and thus bring us closer to the secret behind this magic a step, that much is certain"

"How much did you discover now, Patchy?" The black white witch's voice echo from the kitchen's door before the speaker move in with a tray carrying food, soup of some sort maybe, judging from the smell and cups of tea. She then placed it on the table and joins the conversation. "I don't seem to gain any insight from the battle in the slightest, exclude that you can't use that black thingy too many times or you'll unleash a monster."

Patchouli glares at her friend from her homeland, but the cough shift her decision toward getting a warm, nice smelling liquid on the table in her throat first, while Oriko also content herself to do the same as the black white race back into the kitchen muttering something along the line of "Why the hell I've to do Sakuya's job here?" only to get another magician in the kitchen answers smugly that "it was the only thing you can be useful regarding of housework of course." Oriko could only guess what's going on in Marisa's head, but she was sure it won't pleasant.

Once indulged herself with tea, Patchouli seems to looks better, at least her pale face is brighten up a little, that she could figure out with her eyes of course, thus the librarian resume their conversations. "Where're we now? Ah yes, at the least, corruption of soul gem somehow fuel the grief seed as much as it purify your… ahem, puella magi's soul…" She raises one finger. "And that fully corrupted soul gem will turn into grief seeds." She then raises another finger. "And the last, Kyubey says that the whole thing is to stop entropy right?"

Oriko nods, which make the magician lower her cup on the plate, raise one hand to her chin in a thinking man-pose, muttering. "I'm not the girl of science, however, advanced sciences do behave more like magic. I think we have to take a look at that for more clues…" She concludes.

"Well, you forget one new problem…" Marisa said, emerge back again from the kitchen, now with Alice in tow and a bunch of dolls holding their own set of tea. "We're about 40 kilometers from the center of the storm that's yet to take place in one month, how can we ferry around from our base here and there fast without someone noticing? Alice even flat out threatens to lock away my broom if I was so much trying to fly there. Saying it will attract attention." She's practically fuming at the last sentence while glaring at the puppeteer, who just shrugged the hostility off and content to drinking her own tea.

"We take the train or bus?" Patchouli suggests, cause Marisa to facepalm herself, even with such intellect in magic and space science her friend possessed, she seems to lacks in some departments, namely, knowledge on outside world, as in 'normal ways of life outside the house' and such.

It was Oriko who point out the flaws for Patchouli, after all, she is the native, and Patchouli would be stupid not listen to one. "Buses and trains only run in a specific time, we cannot expect them to be available whenever we needed."

"True…" Alice adds her thought, backing up Oriko's claim. "Myself and Marisa wait for nearly half an hour during shopping trip, which caused us to ran into a witch and Kyubey back in the city, the bus don't come up whenever you need, Patchouli, and we cannot fly else the Incubator know what we are before we're ready to face them…"

Patchouli's eyes widen looking at both of her friends with curiosity. "Did it find out what we are?"

"Nay…" was all that Marisa answers, while Alice shook her head in denial, cause Patchouli to relax a little. Thus she presses the issue further regarding intelligence they might gain. "Then, what can you two gathered from this encounter?"

Alice snorts in disgust, looking irritated and not speak a single word, until Marisa shakes her head and tell the other two habitats that she still regret about not blowing it up on spot thanks to the need of secret keeping, it was then that Alice shot Marisa a look that telling her to shut up and breathe in aroma from her warm cup of half-finished tea to calm herself before she could speaks again.

"Sorry, just caught up a bit, thinking that it deceives and plan to get its' easy package across as much as possible…" Alice mutters apologies, which accepted by other three without word. Then she began analyze what she found. "It seems to be able to communicate through telepathy, however, unlike Satori we three knew, it cannot read our mind that easily. Only telepathy seems to be what it can use the most."

Even Oriko suddenly find the urge to ask who Satori was, she keep her mouth shut to let the explanation uninterrupted. "It cannot be seen by people who has zero magical potential. I think it's possible to relate to some kind of magic barrier around itself, strong enough that stop naked eyes from noticing, but do nothing if their eyes have magic flowing through." Alice continues "We cannot get much observation data than what our eyes and passive magical sense can perceive though, else it might tip the thing off."

"I see…" Patchouli sigh in resignation that they'll not progress much farther with this kind of intel, not by a mile… and since their time is limited, they should made the most out of them, and thus.. She decided to consult everyone for their next move. "For now, I think we should try to adapt to this world, while also train Oriko in the art of flight, and fighting. Meanwhile, I'll try searching the library for some reference if they might provide insight how we should proceed."

Marisa shrug then look at Oriko with some eagerness and excitement in her eyes. "Very well, Oriko, I'm going to be your teacher this afternoon, once you're done stuffing yourself, meets me outside." With that words, she drinks the remaining tea in her cup, straighten her witch hat, then grabs her broom which appeared out of nowhere, (Oriko choose not to questions, seems hyperspace arsenal is commonplace for true magicians.) jump on it and… to Oriko's horror, rammed clean through the window next to them! Shards of broken glasses fly all over the place force her to quickly duck behind the table for cover, while the puppeteer and librarian merely shot an annoying looks at the incoming shards while wave their hand, and suddenly two glowing magic circle form a wall blocking incoming small, sharp projectiles, which bounce harmlessly off its surface down to the ground, leave everyone in the room unharmed.

Alice then turns to Oriko, who slowly get out of cover and says to the puella. "I think she's too excited that she ever has a student, well, you're _her first apprentice_ to be precise. Never mind, you better finish your meals then get out there and start the next lesson, it's better if you learned from someone who's sheer hard working drives her from non-magical people into what she was today."

In the meantime, her dolls quickly flocks into the room with brooms and bags to begin sweeping up the glass shards and remove the broken window out of their frame, while Patchouli rise up, hovering in the air to avoid sharp objects scattered on the ground and make her ways toward the library, leaving only puppeteer and grey hair puella the only living in the room.

Oriko quickly finish her meal then prepare to dash through the door when Alice speaks up again, halting her. "Wait Oriko, since you just learned how to fly, better start training with it." Then she points at the broken windows, which the remains has been removed. "Go outside the same ways Marisa does, don't worry, my dolls will fixed it when you two come back for the dinner."

'Wait… does that mean she's going to train her the whole afternoon?' Oriko looks between Alice and the window in confusion, until the puppeteer repeats her words, that she slowly got off the ground and fly out the way she was pointed at.

Once alone in the living room, Alice finish her tea, let the dolls clean up the floor, then follow Oriko outside before her doll fix up the window as well, since she still worry about how Marisa will train their apprentice and she's also promise to teach Oriko magecraft just like her two fellow. After all, magicians have their code of honor to keep.

* * *

**Author Note:**

[1] Witch 'Itzli' From Madoka Magica Portable (one of the Bonus Boss in that game to be exact.). I choose it as this chapter's witch because it closely resembles the Mother Brain from 2 episodes prior. And don't surprise about why they have some attack that may or may not be in there, well, I made it up.

[2]Reference to Drama CD. Which told us that Kyoko and Mami used to be in the same team before the story in 'Madoka Magica' begin.

Hope you don't find Kyoko's behavior weird, I just took after her jerkassery about other magical girls and her mafia-like attitude when it come to witch-hunting. But she wouldn't hurt a child or innocent directly, that's how I've interpreted her character.


	7. Chapter 6: I Wanna get the Warp Wire!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 6: I wanna get a Warp Wire!**

The rest of the week and a half passed by without any major incident, apart from Patchouli and Alice setting up 'baiting charm' trice during that time to bait around a dozen and half more witches into the stealth bound field for some target practice… er… research… well, they still don't stand a chance against any of the four habitats anyway. Some are more remarkable though. Such as, Marisa blasted one with Master Spark the moment its physical form appeared next to her, not giving it a chance to do anything. (She mentioned something along the line of 'Spawn kills for easy win!') Or the statue with one arm as a club gets rushed down by horde of Alice's dolls when it appeared inside the house, trapping servants (dolls) in its barrier. (Marisa let out some kind of laugh that sounds 'Dolls Rush! Ke Ke Ke Ke!' when the witch can't even damage a single doll before it died.)

Of course, that's not implied that Oriko didn't do anything. It's quite the opposite, about dozen of those numbers were her fighting alone, with little assistance as possible from the three magicians. With each battle improving her skill at dogfighting a little further, heck, nine times out of ten, witches they fought can't even jump!, let alone flight, once she get a good grasp of how they attacks, it slowly turn into one sided battle where witches struggle to shot her down despite her teachers had yet to taught her more advanced aerial maneuver! Air superiority indeed…

However, with success also comes failures, it's a shame that they cannot use the same grief seed over and over, as Patchouli decided to experiment on the next day after that incident by purifying Oriko's soul gem to the point of reviving witch back (Read: Training Hard! to deliberately forced corruption on her soul gem while still getting something, or experience, back.), then defeat the witch again to get the seed and purify over and over.

The result seems that the purification process by only single grief seed yield a diminishing return, since for some reason, the seed will take less and less corruption from soul gem before the reviving process begin again. After three time of using the same seed, the soul gem barely brighten at all, before they have to initiate a battle to subdue the witch that emerged.

Then come the sixth time she purifying her soul, which the grief seed suddenly crack, then exploded in an epic chain reaction that threaten to destroy the house if not because the partial witch barrier that formed half way through before the self-destruct. For Oriko herself, Patchouli and Alice, thankfully, pulled her out of the blast radius and cast a barrier to block it in time. After that, they all agreed to put a halt to that experiment, but not before Patchouli theorized that, like everything in the world, they can 'decay' and lose effectiveness the longer they stays in the world, but her theory still vague and not that enlightening the true nature of it at all.

Another thing that the unmoving great library and her friends found themself struggle against is teaching Oriko more advance magic, particularly… _any style of magic_ that did not involve instinct-induced magic from '_puella magi contract package'_. Not that Oriko was untalented in this kind of magecraft, mind you, but for some reason, whenever the puella magi trying to recite the spells Patchouli pull out from the books, the corruption in her soul build up so fast that she could cast at most four spells before the need of purification, hence why they had to bait in such many witches during the course of the week.

This left them scratching their heads in frustration, why? Because, the magic they taught Oriko were the basic of the basic, which power level not anywhere near, say… Final Spark or Royal Flare… and of course the power it consume should be equal level, but it still drains Oriko dry for some reason… if the build-up corruption can be called 'magic drain' that is…

And then there are the facts that the corruption in soul gem power up witches into revival. And the way puella magi fuel their spellcraft, unlike the three magicians who use both their own reserves combined with natural mana to do so. Which their reserves can be traced back to the food they ate, the energy conserved during sleep and the shift in residue Mana around them when they use magic. Puella Magi have none of it! In fact, you can cast the spells until your soul gem is pitch-black, yet not feeling hungry that much (Patchouli now speculated that the first time she was hungry after begin her training is due to lack of breakfast than anything.), even the movement of natural Mana around them is not affect by any means when they cast spells either! Means that they fuel their spells very little by their own 'natural' reserve, and majority of it from energy which the three magicians couldn't detect entering their body! As if they're coming out of nowhere!

"Even Yukari warned us that this universe has different rules regarding its nature, but this's just plain absurd!" Marisa threw her hands up, slumping into her chair in the Mikuni's library for the fourth time of this day. On the table next to her lie loads of papers scripting with various recording of their week of unsuccessful research.

On the opposite side of the table, Alice stopped her sewing of a new doll's dress (to replace the one that shredded by witch attack yesterday.) and glare at Marisa as if to say "if you don't have anything creative to speaks, then shut up." Before return her attention to knitting in her lap. Patchouli still buries herself under piles of books, not magical book, but science books! In hope that they can find something that explain this mysterious energy. Out of the corner of her eyes, Marisa sees Oriko float in, white dress of puella magi in all its glory, with another pile of books on her hands.

"Mast… eh… Patchouli, these're the books you requested. I found them on the highest shelf in the corner of the library." Oriko state, while dropping the books onto the table. Before choose another empty chair to sit down alongside her teachers.

Silence reign for a while, until Oriko asks. "Have you found out anything?"

Patchouli and Alice looks up at their apprentice and shake their heads in denial. "I tried everything myself too…" Oriko mutters "but I still don't know why I couldn't use your magic without corrupt my soul gem that badly, sorry that after all those talk, I couldn't keep promise…"

"Stop that depressing talk would you!" Marisa snapped at the teen, cause her to flinch a little. "We choose you as our apprentice for a reason, your determination to get better like the rest of us for one!" She lifts a finger up. "And we're not the like that will be stopped by just that petty corruption, I says that we'll find a way, or any magic, that you can use other than your instinct magic one way or another."

"I… sorry…" that was all Oriko could say, before a black hole with many reddish eyes glaring out of it suddenly appear next to her, cause her to jumped out of her chair and on her feet, hands shot up with marbles between finger in second, ready to shoot, while her mentors just shot the black hole with annoying looks, but none take defensive stance. In fact, the only one prepare to fight was Oriko alone! And that's what causes her to pause, not start shooting her marbles at the pitch-black hole that seems to expanding to the size of adult human already.

"Master…?" her neon-green eyes shows sign of confusion, even when they watched her battle against witches during the past week, none of her teachers ever relaxed like this before, she could tell that they were all ready to jump up to help her the moment she slipped up and the witch will get a kill there. But why this abnormal… thing… next to her held no concern to them now was something that she couldn't explain.

Some parts of her mind told her to relax just like her teachers, but another has a dread feeling that whatever it is, it's not natural of this world, not even Kyubey would've known of it. But before she could form any words to talk to, another being, dressed in white robe and blue prints on the front, with fox ears covered in a white hat with paper charms attached to it, and nine fluffy fox tails at her back, emerged from the black hole, hover over ground for second and slowing float down to touch the floor without noise.

Oriko's word died in her mouth at the sight of fantastic being that shouldn't exist outside folklore in front of her started to looks around, its bright yellow eyes show astonishment when surveying the numerous bookshelves around them before settle down at Oriko with a calculating looks on it. The puella tensed, marbles in hands ready to fly at any minutes if not for Patchouli to call out on her "Dismiss your arms, Oriko, she's our friend. Don't worry…"

Seeing that the fox lady smiles at her while bow her head a little as if to greet her, the grey-hair puella decided that she's not a threat, thus she dismisses her marbles in the instant, which prompt the first words from the fox lady herself. "Greeting, young one, my name is Ran Yakumo, please to meet you…"

Oriko seems unsure how to react, after all, the figure next to her looks no older than herself! But when she looks at the nine tails at Ran's back and considered the folklore regarding her species, she quickly understand that this fox is no less than nine centuries old, thus a bit less reluctant, she bow as well. "My name is Oriko Mikuni, the owner of this household, pleased to meet you as well."

"OK, cut the politeness and introduction please…" Marisa interrupts the pair, walking toward Ran with her hand on Mini-Hakkero at her waist like a swordsman ready to unsheathe his weapon. "Took you long enough to contact us! What's with that _'I'll stay in contact with you as soon as possible.'_?"

Ran glance down at the weapon in black-white's hand for second, her expression unchanged despite the threat she made, much to Marisa's irritation, before turn into a frown as if she recalled some unpleasant memories and answer. "When Lady Yukari send you through, she did not tells me where you three were. And I assumed that you three should stay somewhere near Mitakahara…"

Alice sigh, while Patchouli just gave the troubled fox lady an understanding nod, while Marisa seems to start direct her anger at Ran's superior instead, however Ran's explanation continues. "I acquired help from Reimu to assist in opening the portal to get there since Lady Yukari just keeps sleeping…" She shook her head. "But as you know, I cannot find you anywhere there, and the size of the city didn't help either… It took me whole week before I covered all ground and expands my search, magical scrying is out of the questions since I have to blend with the crowd and search on foot, else we drag attention of…"

At that words Marisa quickly asks. "Wait what? How can you blend in without that demonic cat homed on you? The moment we set foot in this city, it found us right away… OW!" she yelled when Alice bash her head with book. "What's that for?"

"You're exaggerating things Marisa…" the puppeteer frowned, looking at her friend rubbing her hand on the back of her head where she just hit, while Ran turns her attention toward Alice's explanation. "… That thing didn't showed up until we finished our errand there, it implied that they still take some time to locate potential magic users, thus it's not that impossible for Ran to avoid detection."

Ran smirk a little and then answer mockingly when she saw that the neon-green eyes of the puella magi still cast question mark symbol all over. "If you still have some doubt, Oriko, remember that I have at least nine centuries of experience…"

Well, mocking or not, it's the most plausible explanation for the teenage girl anyway. Considered what a single human could achieved in his or her lifetime which last no longer than a century even with such advanced medical science today, what a being as old as some civilizations itself could achieve? Oriko didn't want to think about that.

"Don't think about it too hard, you'll get headache…" It was Marisa who snapped her out of her thought. "Focus on here and now first. Now we have a lot of issues to discuss… right… Ran?" She turns to ask the nine-tailed fox at the last sentence.

The nine tail chuckle a little. "Indeed it is, since Yukari gave me the order to assist **you as long as it's** **not direct combat with witches or incubator**, which I also thought might never be an issue…" She added, looking confidently at four other on the table. "…however, no plans survive first contact with enemy, thus if it's absolutely necessary, then I'll help, I promise."

Oriko is the first to left speechless state that befall all others in library, she bow to the nine tail fox while expressing her gratitude to have more people that's not manipulated by Kyubey's schemes on her side to help prevent the end of the world. "Then I thank you and gracefully accept your assist then…" which made everyone suddenly burst out in laughter, confusing the young girl.

"Ha ha… oh well… that's polite of you, Oriko…" Marisa speaks while wiping off her tears. "You don't need to thanks just yet, wait till this mess is over first."

Oriko's not sure what to say again, given her teacher's unusual tendencies it's quite a normal reaction one would expected, only to be broken down again by Ran, who resume serious expression quicker than a chameleon changing color. "Now the first thing first… how's her magic potential going?" She then point at Oriko for emphasis.

That cause the three magicians to react differently, but none are pleasant, Alice just shakes her head, Marisa facepalm herself as if something upset her greatly, and Patchouli's the one who answers the nine-tails with a frown marred her face. "Her energy seems to generate out of nowhere from her crystallized soul, she cannot lend the power of the nature nor even from her own body… I means, chemical energy from the body… if the corruption of her soul gem is any indication. Thus she cannot use any of the basic spell we have for very long."

"I beg for the differ…" Alice adds. "she's quite OK with magical aerial flight, but that's it, seems to be the only magic that she could perform aside from generating constructs to attack witch with solid projectiles. Another one we encountered last week seems to use magic to create melee weapon for battle." Then she turns her cup of tea to have it filled by one of her ever-ready doll servant that somehow hovering into the library without anyone noticing before return to the conversation. "But I can't say for certain, we only made contact with two magical girls so far, so it may be a bad assumption to think that all of the 'puella magi' can only use solid constructs as a weapon, or their magic focus on 'projection of solid constructs'."

"And now we have a problem of being what?... 40 kilometer away from the intended area!" Marisa shot a look at Ran as if she's the one to blame. "I say we need some form of transportation… fast and undetectable to get there first! Patchy and Alice here dismiss flight as if we have other options!"

Before Ran could come up with something, a buzzing noise is heard from her pocket inside the robe, prompt her to quickly grab a flat white box out and opened it in front of other, showing two glass screen on each side, a number of buttons and arrowhead buttons on one side which she frantically pushing with a beeping noise coming out each time her finger slammed on them.

Ran ignore the curious look from others for the next minute trying to solve whatever the thing has, until it was Oriko who's brave enough… or stupid enough to approach the nine tails and take a peek at the screen, seeing that the lower screen now display some sort of map, a green arrow at the center pointed to the pink symbol inside what could be a room, with the upper screen display what should be the first-person view of it, Oriko sure of that, since it currently displaying a pillar of pink light that reach upward from the ground to the sky beyond what the screen allow her, or the user in particular, to see where it ended.

She didn't need to look much more than that to become clear of what Ran's doing 'Third Stratum, if my memories about those lethal lava land is corrected…' In Oriko mind, she's wandering back during her ninth birthday, when her father brought this 'DS game' for her thanks to her hard work and top grade at school… a game which quite popular at the time long before her birth, but frustrate her to no end due to its insane difficulty which made her wonder how the hell this game can came out of play testing in the first place, especially the boss in third stratum that Ran's clearly didn't get there yet…

Once she turned back to Ran, she saw the nine tails is currently looking for something on the dead end at the other side of the labyrinth which has many passages, when she sees her rummaging through 'Quests' menu a little she instantly recalled what's need to be done, didn't want the conversation to stop dead any longer, Oriko decided to help. "Turn to your left and go to that dead end, there's quest item you need to take back to the bar… grab it… if you wish to finished it, I saw you look at the quest's description over and over… so I guess it's this…"

The golden eyes of the fox lady shot her a confused look for second, and then she decided to do as instructed much to Marisa's, who's nearest to the duo, surprise. Then Ran turn toward the videogame she's playing and continue what's left, about a minute later she closed it, apparently saved the progress, then speaks to Oriko in grateful tone. "Many thanks, Oriko, lady Yukari ordered me to finish this fetch quest for her today… and despite I have the knowledge of this game quite well…" she tilt her head. "…finding something that's as random as this… is not my area of expertise…"

"I see…" Oriko nods, while other three get ignored. "But you do realize that this party won't stand a chance versus this stratum boss unless you subclass them or maybe reaching level 40 or have a limit break Aegis Defense?" Oriko quickly pointed out the major flaw in the party Ran… no… Ran's master… is using in this game, which if her memories served her right, their frailty would guaranteed that they will never survive the stratum boss's super move in this state, over leveling be damned.

"Well…" Ran let out a sad smile while looking at the portable gaming device in hand, clearly not having a single clue to what Oriko's talking about. "That's a problem for another day… for now I considered my order's completed, and we should keep them wait no longer, considered I've divided my attention to my personal matter for quite a while…" She pointed at three witches who shot them a look of irritation which Oriko just noticed.

Marisa quickly snorts once she saw that they gained their attention. "Ah… And I thought that it'll be next tea time before you two finish your chit chat." She cross her arms, golden eyes met another set of golden eyes squarely and repeats the last question yet again. "So the problem of our base is far from the operation area?"

Before Ran could speaks, another voice, Oriko's, asks back one question with the curious look on her eyes. "Master Patchouli…" Hearing the seriousness of her student's voice, the purple hair magician simply raises her eyebrows but did not chastise her for calling her 'Master Patchouli' again. "…is it possible to transport people or objects using the geomagnetic field around the globe?"

At those words, Ran suddenly asks. "You didn't happen to get the idea from that geomagnetic pole in the game I've just play do you?"

However, the only answer from the young puella is a nod of confirmation and a single word. "Yes." Before turning back to Patchouli who currently is pondering her idea in silence, including Alice, but except Marisa who just look between Oriko and her friends as if to asks what they're talking about.

It didn't last long… at least not on the length of waiting Ran to finish her fetch quest, that Patchouli speaks up. "…mmm… good idea, since it rely on the existing geomagnetic field on earth, the incubator wouldn't suspect anything, at least, they'll not detect it as easy… and self-sustaining as a bonus…" But she cut the smile on Oriko's face with the next sentence. "However, to manipulate geomagnetic field on such scale… creating artificial pole used solely for instant transportation will require a lot of complex runes and magic formulas… this will take some time…"

"Well, instead of geomagnetic or whatever you called, can we just use those wires outside…" Marisa adds her thought. "I mean, you guys have those black wires hanging and linking around the city everywhere, even one is linked to this house!" She then move out of the library, prompting other to follows and see her pointing at the electric cable connected to the outer wall of the house.

Alice eyes widen when she recalled her memories of the shopping distinct she and Marisa went, while Oriko just facepalm herself for forgetting such a simple thing, indeed, despite the advanced of the human in 21st century, they still need electric cable to flow power from the power plants to the users, no one has invent satellites based power distribution like in fictions just yet. So as long as their operation is in the city, then going anywhere would not be a problem.

Once she voiced her opinion, the whole group decided that it's much easier than geomagnetic field manipulation, though, as Patchouli and Ran pointed out, that if the cables are disconnected, or the power stop flowing for some reason, they're useless, further proof by Ran who says that based on her 'calculation', the witch that destined to destroy this world and multi universe can and will affect the real world, not just abducting human inside their barrier make it even more likely that the cable flow transportation will be useless in crucial moment, thus the geomagnetic poles are still needed, though not as much hurry as Patchouli first thought. Since it's just a backup after all…

And thus the decision is out and plans are drawn, Ran then returned to Gensokyou in another universe, only to come back the next day stated that lady Yukari has entered hibernation… again… in the middle of summer no less! And since her last order is to assist them under the condition of 'no direct combat involved' so she decided to stay to help Patchouli and Alice developing the 'power flow transportation' as they're now called it.

Meanwhile, Marisa's more contented to teaching Oriko about advanced flight, aerial maneuver and precision aiming due to not expert in as many magical theories as the other two. (She's more specialized in her own brand of magic and practical application.) Since the corruption of her soul gem still plagued her advance in other branches of magic schools, Marisa decided that she should make the most out of what she have first, until they figured out the solution, this's the best she could do. Occasionally, Alice or Patchouli will show up to teach Oriko, but it's briefly at best and left Marisa to elaborate a little more for her to understand.

Oriko also surprisingly accepted the fact that she couldn't learn other magic just yet quite well. She now trained HARD to compensate! Although her projectiles' was nowhere as numerous as what normal fairies in Gensokyou generally throwing around, not even close! But as Marisa noted, she seems to made up for it by increasing her projectile's speed, therefor made them as hard to dodge as showering them with lots of projectiles. And since it did not have laser sight preceding the attack like those laser that Alice, Marisa and Patchouli seem to fond of also an advantage.

Not only that, Oriko has learn all the aerial techniques just as fast as when Marisa first got her broom, reflecting her determination and hidden intellect which even Marisa had to admitted that if it's not for the corruption or 'magician should create and craft spells that's their own.', she would be sure to taught her a variation of Master Spark or two, unfortunately she couldn't use it without turning her into a witch post-use thus made teaching it pointless, and that modus operandi of magicians still keep in effect is another reason. Oh, well, as if she cares about that, just like Patchy and Alice…

However, these didn't come without a price, due to the training and the research, a strain of corruption on puella's soul gem grow up very fast, much more than what a normal puella could get if that two encounters with Kyoko is any indication. Thus they must resorts to 'baiting' in even more witches to hunt, which is quite convenient considered that they didn't have to go on a patrol to find one at all. (Something that Patchouli seems to be grateful of, she don't like going out that much.)

* * *

One more week… and about thirty of witches' grief seeds later…

Marisa in her usual black white witch dress and a hat floating on her broom looking down the rose garden of Mikuni household below, her golden eyes cannot hide the excited expression she currently have. Below her stood another four figures, dress in their usual garbs, well, in case of Oriko, it's her battle uniform. (if you can called magical girl outfit that…) stand in circle around runic inscription which they all drawn on the unplanted flower block, checking if anything is wrong from the instructions, with her flying above to confirm it.

Looking at the rune circle during another pass, Marisa decided that it's too boring since she couldn't even saw anything wrong with it, thus she called out. "Patchy… It's fine now, should I connect it to that cable pole?"

Patchouli look up, her face has a pink shade on it which visible for Marisa to see, and she cough once before replies back. "Understood, well, we should start the experiment now… "

"Here, catch…" Marisa quickly held her hand out and grab a long-black power cable that Shanghai throw at her (How can she throw something that big compared to her size is anyone's guess.), the other end of the cable is connected to the edge of the runic circle as if it's used to transfer magical power to something else connected to the other end.

Which is exactly what purpose they're going to use it for now…

However, Oriko still has some doubt, no, not about whether it would work or not, but about some familiarity… She's certain that she saw this kind of technology… yes… technology… not magic… once in some kind of fiction she used to saw in her youth but forgotten when she grown up.

She shakes her head, no, thinking about where it came from wouldn't do her any good, better understanding its working mechanism to reproduce it later so that she still had this convenient transportation method to use after they finish the ruckus that's super powerful witch and leave, provided that she knew what's wrong with her magic to not dying even casting their basic spells that is…

Patchouli low, weak voice like those used by someone ill shook her out of her thought. "Connect the power cord we gave you to the main grid, careful for electric shock…" but her warning is a little too late as Marisa yelp in pain and jerks her broom back from the power line which she just connected the cord to it, body shaking, she then turn toward the magician in purple nightgown with displeased look on her face.

"Thanks for the advice, now try to do that a bit faster like… before I get hit by it!" She yelled.

Patchouli didn't listen to Marisa's rambling, she bent over and cough wildly with her knee on the ground as if in pain!

"Master Patchouli!" the panicked Oriko rushed toward her teacher alongside Alice and Ran, then Marisa who land next to the unmoving great library's kneeling form. "We should get her to the hospital!" Oriko speaks again while trying to lift the small figure up, but Patchouli's hand clamp on her shoulder drag her down a little, and her neon green-eyes met with the purple one which stare her down, stopped her and other from trying to help.

"I'm… fine…" the purple eyes magician reply weakly, but that's not assuring anyone at all no matter how she tried. "We must get this done… too much… time… wasted…"

"I agree that we waste too much time, but your health is our concern right now." Ran speaks in analytical voice. "You're in no position to continue using your magic… not now…"

"You should take a rest, Patchouli… this can wait." Alice added, knowing how much efforts Patchouli puts in getting this out for use in the past week, she didn't sleep, hardly left library, drink and eat so little. Contrast to the puppeteer, who despite being non-human and can gets by with many inconvenient situations such as lack of food, water and sleep, but she still know that her body will not tolerate this behavior for long, Youkai be damned, even they've long live doesn't mean they can't get sick, however harder than normal human it might be… thus she's still slept, still eat and drink properly even she was hard work in helping out the research and creation of this invention.

It's hardly a surprise for Alice and Marisa, anyone who know Patchouli for long enough will also knew it that she's like this whenever something strike her curiosity, which leads to a streak of non-stop reading, researching, crafting (both magically and scientifically) and experiments without rest until it's done, and almost always make her a little sick in the process, but it's not last more than a day and it's only a simple cough or unable to use magic for a while, an exploit which Marisa used to steals books without having to muscle her ways through occasionally.

However both of them, and even Ran has a lot of concern about their friend's situation this time due to something was off with her illness at the moment, though they couldn't place a finger on why and what, and considered they're on the different world… different universe than the one they came from, they don't know if Patchouli will catch a new disease that her weak immune system can't handle or not, their worries are justified.

But their concern were short-lived when Patchouli standing up, albeit shaking. "I said I'm fine!" Patchouli speaks slowly, however this time she backed her words with the invisible magic power that flared up from her small form, creating a weak shockwave that merely made other took a single step backward, but it still get the message across that 'I'm going to finish this experiment today, and none of you have any rights to stop me from doing so!'

Marisa's shot back hotly, however not with concern evident in her voice. "You're not feeling well and you know that we know it Patchy!" She then point out the facts. "You blast a moment earlier is clear indication of that! C'mon, no one will accuse you to be weak if you take a rest…" her words died in her mouth once Patchouli glare dagger at her. She then shrugs and says. "If there is no convincing you… well, have it your way, but considered we warned you!"

Alice nod in approval of her sentiment, as well as Oriko who's inferior to them in every way possible since she's their apprentice and lack experience, so she can't comment that much even she's concern about Patchouli's health as much as other. And Ran? She simply makes a gesture that basically says 'not my fight.' and didn't speak anything. Thus Patchouli had her ways with it now.

"Think about it, if we succeed, this might make traveling around Gensokyou much easier, especially in Kappa's territory…" She mumble, slowly lift herself up from the ground. "And the geomagnetic pole… it'll take a while, but right now…"

"Just get this thing done first before going over to the next project…" Marisa cut the librarian short, not wanting to stand in the sunlight more than needed, not that she minded it herself, but she minded about Patchouli's, whose face seems to redden more without herself noticing it!

Patchouli cough again, glare at Marisa for ruining her speech, but then she held out her hand at the rune circle, cause it to glow bright blue. "It's ready…"

"Wait!" Marisa showed her hand asking with curiosity. "How can this thing work? I mean… we just running at high speed along the power line that used to distribute electricity across country? But I don't see how that will speed up our travel… Ack!" She drops to the ground, broom rolling to the side, hands on her head around where her witch hat's pointy end once was rubbing her head. "What's that for Patchouli!?" She turned to the culprit, who, despite the frailty still manages to give her headache with a simple punch.

Alice, who just retrieved Shanghai back into her hyperspace arsenal, shot Marisa a look of annoyance, then sigh when she realized something. "I see, you never once offer any knowledge that will help the progress of this thing, why I'm surprised that you wouldn't know a thing or two about it?" When she saw Marisa's face darken with both rage and embarrassment, she quickly adds. "Not that it's wrong though, else we all couldn't get much of it done in time like this when we must all rotating our works around."

Of course, the subtle meaning is that, by rotate between teaching Oriko and researching this power flow travelling, the progress will slow down on both work due to the need to catch up on what was left by the other when switching duty, it's not saying that Marisa is lazy, but she has another roles to help them out. And Marisa understands that well enough to calm down.

Once her fellow friend is in the mood to listen to explanation, Alice takes that role, since she doesn't think Marisa would like to hear it from Patchouli, who just annoyed her more than once right now. "OK, the basic is that, this rune circle that we came up with…" she pointed at the glowing inscription on the ground. "…will turned us into energy being temporarily and send us through the power line akin to the electricity toward the destination of our choosing… which we will turn back into physical form once again…" She then turns around asking other. "Any question?"

"Is it… safe?" Oriko hesitantly asks, since the thought that they turned living things into energy and travel down the power line to reassemble back into their own self again sounds dangerous no matter how fantasy or incredible it is.

"Of course, it is…" Patchouli speaks in annoyed voice as if her apprentice just insult her hard work, causing Oriko to back down slightly. "Even this's the first time we used it to go to the Mitakahara, *cough*… I've tried a shorter distance to the power line along the nearby mountain… using Ran to test those two days earlier… *cough*"

"Since I'm the nine-tailed fox and had more experience than anyone here regarding mystic power, I'm the best to do it…" Ran said and shrugged as if the thought of offering herself as a test subject is something not that disturbing. "…Even if it go wrong, I won't injured or die that easily. And after the test… it's a success…" She assures Oriko who still has some hesitant look, calm her down a little.

Seeing that Oriko's question is answered, Marisa decided to ask hers. "So, for the experimental run, where's our landing point? It won't do any good if we were separated isn't it?"

"Theoretically, it's just another style of magic, the runic symbol here merely assist in gathering energy required for breakdown and transportation. Thus we can appear anywhere provided it's connected to the power line, and we know exactly where we wished to go… *cough cough*" Patchouli explains, but she start coughing again, but the little servant doll Alice deployed around the house quickly rush in from the house with bottle of water, which the purple haired witch quickly take a drink, easing the sore taste in her throat a little bit.

"But for a failsafe, I've placed a magic beacon in Mitakahara three days prior…" Alice decided to pick up where Patchouli left off, letting her friend rest a little. "By adding another formula into this rune, it'll guide us through the power grid toward predetermined destination… or the beacon, without the need for users to know where first… Once we familiarized with the layout of the city… this beacon will no longer in use…."

"Alice…" Marisa interrupts, curiosity piped up. "Make it short, and when did you get the destination beacon into city 40 kilometer from here? I may be busy training Oriko out here in the garden, but I'm sure that I've yet to see you leave this house except five days ago that we went into the town to get more supplies again. And I'm with you the entire time! Oh, and while we're at it, how can you concealed it from the damn rabbit too?"

Alice face palm herself, looking at Marisa as if she was something alien or so out of touch of the magical world… or like they're stranger that just know each other not long ago that she can't really form an answer for such question. "Really? You should know that I've my doll doing that job… And for the magic signature, that doll I sent, it's just for delivery task, simple cloaking… from Kappa is enough…" She silently thanks Ran for getting the thing for her in the first day she came back.

But it's not over, she then proceed to ask the black white witch back. "So, what's the point of asking these questions that you should obliviously know answers from the start Marisa?"

"Some viewers are moron who cannot use their own brain… no offence… Oriko… I didn't mean you, or Patchouli or Ran…" Marisa answers and shrugged.

"Then you mean who if not us?" Patchouli probes further but interrupted by her own cough again, providing the opportunity (or maybe coincidence?) for Marisa to quickly shift the subjects around. Not that anyone minded though, since Patchouli's condition just seems to worsen by the minute, and of course, she herself still not noticed it!

"OK, OK, so you say it safe and Ran went through it once, so let test it right the hell now and called it a day shall we?" Marisa speaks what's in the mind of most, if not all of the people presence there. Thus the only reaction from the group is the collective nod of approval.

Ran step into the circle, runic symbol glow a little brighter until the light envelop her form as if she's glowing blue aura, she then speaks to them one last time. "Let's get this done, Activation!"

With that word, nine-tailed lady's form dissolved into a blue-glowing ball of energy the size of soccer ball which run into the power cable Marisa connected to the country's power grid earlier, reducing it to a shimmering glow on cord indicating her position, before the glow move along the cable out of Mikuni household into the transformer on the electricity post, then shoot along the power cable and disappeared from sight in split second!

"Wow…" was all that Marisa managed to say before Alice step in the circle next, turning to face Marisa and Oriko who stand next to each other and order. "Follow up OK? Just let the beacon guide you."

"Wait, just single people testing it is not enough?" Marisa suddenly blurt out, as if fear suddenly caught up on her mind, but Alice know it isn't, just normal laziness which flare up on the black white from time to time when she felt like it. (Unlike Reimu or Yukari who seems to need problem knocking at their doorstep before making a move.) Thus it's unsurprising that Alice didn't bulge from talking her into using the power flow transport along with the rest. "And are you not need a detailed map of that city? Or exploring new place? We're nearly devoid of witches around here as it is…"

True to Alice's words, due to their baiting charm luring witches into the bound field for an easy hunt en-masses, the number of witches that appear during the last bait are down to just a single, unworthy to mention one despite the power the bait exerted! And given their constant training which they pushed Oriko through plus the escalation and preparation for the fight ahead, they still need a good influx of grief seeds. Even what they have now could support magic using for Oriko for another year or two provided that they stop their 'training from hell' now, as Marisa says. 'Just to be sure.' It's necessary to get some more…

Seeing that the black white has ceased argument, and her apprentice shot her an apologetic smile, Alice then proceed to activate the beacon, like Ran which go through a minute earlier, Alice turned into a ball of light that race along the cable toward the power line and disappeared.

"OK… huh Oriko?" Marisa suddenly stops her feet when seeing the girl in white and blue dress slip into the runic circle. Her neon eyes look back at her with curiosity and determination, before she bent down on one knee and begin scripting the paper she pulled out of nowhere the runic she currently stood on.

"You know, we'll have more than enough to do that after we get this done…" Marisa scratching her own head when call out to Oriko. While Patchouli's frowning as if she somewhat in pain? But since she make no noise the two didn't notice it at all, instead, Oriko stop what she's doing, stands up and look at her teacher as if asking for approval from the black-white.

But her next sentence is just a statement… statement which Marisa knows from the start. "Then I'll go first, Master Marisa…" with those words, she then disappeared, prompting Marisa to do the same when Patchouli just gesture her to go first, she then step into the circle, channel magic into it and…

Her first feeling when the magical rune activate was a flash of light that blind her eyes, follow by a feeling of weightlessness unlike when she's flying… while in flight, she still feel the gravity constantly trying to pull her down to earth and she must exert magical constructed force to counteract it. But this… there's no such thing, despite she couldn't see a thing doesn't means she can't feel what's going on… A force of some kind is directing her toward somewhere... like a dull cold un-life being create by foul sorcery to serve but single objective of the creator, only that this's not un-life, it's just… directive given by the rune to force users to go to the only destination it's… well… designated…

Time passed by, Marisa couldn't know how long it has been passed since she activate the power flow transportation rune. But before she could think more than that it stopped, Marisa suddenly feels her weight when her body suddenly crashing down on the cold concrete floor. Her golden eyes snap open to see the surrounding once more.

Slowly lifting herself up, the sunlight shine through the hole on the wall next to her showed that she's in some kind of building. Judging by the sheer dust that filled the air and the coughing sound that came through her ears, it mean that the owner of this place didn't clean it up for a long time… that… or just this place is abandoned.

Looking to her left she found the source of the coughing noise, kneeling on the floor was Oriko, her already white-grey hair seems to gain a lot more grey from the dust making she looks a decade older, the magical girl dress she wore also suffer the same fate, seems like Kyubey didn't add auto cleaning function along with it...

While to the black-white's right she found Alice standing a few meters away from them, hands dusting off the dust collected on her blue dress slowly, her blue eyes locked on her gold one as if to say. "See? Just do it and be done with it." When look a little further, she found a blonde haired woman in her twenties wearing black business suit completed with red ties, black trousers and shoes, her facial features, notably the golden eyes, just tell Marisa exactly who she is despite never saw her in this form before… Yes, it seems Ran Yakumo has just assumed human form for disguise and blend with normal human already…

Then there's the humming noise, like some Kappa's machine called 'electric motor' or something grew closer from the outside of the building, which Marisa just noticed the power cord that connected the building to the power line nearby. Then the shimmering blue light travelling into the transformer on the electric pole outside the main building, then it shoot a glowing ball of blue energy straight through the hole on the wall, missing Marisa by the tip of her hat, before it reformed into a girl in pink and purple pajama and purple hair on all four on the ground, coughing.

"Nearly hit me, Patchy…" Marisa mutters before looking at other people, grinning and then speaks about their journey. "Well, got to admit, that's strange experience for me, not like flying at all."

Ran, who looks just like, if not the actual Yakuza or businessman chuckle, while Oriko still trying to dust off her own cloth and try not to stagger around too much even she's having problem with it at the moment didn't have enough mind to spare for reacting with Marisa just yet. (Looks like the power flow transport leave some effect on her, probably something regarding stabilization.) And of course Alice, she is examining a magic circle inscribed on the wall, probably the beacon that brought them here in the first place, without paying attention at her at all.

Ran is the first to reply the black white witch, satisfaction evident in her voice. "I'll take that the experiment was a success… it take us exactly 8 seconds to came here, across the distance over 40 kilometer, which is the achievement in itself."

"Huh?" Oriko, who just able to stand straight without straggling around exclaimed in surprise before move to the big hole on the wall and look outside as if to confirm that they're indeed in Mitakahara already, before her neon-green eyes widen with joy when she discovered that it is.

"Teacher… This thing will get you a Nobel Prize for sure if you choose to reveal it to the world…" She can barely kept her composure in check, since just like what she said, this thing is just a little heartbeat away from those teleportation found only in science fiction, none which have yet to become reality, she couldn't even imagine the impact of such technology to the society.

"Well, sorry for shattering your dream…" Marisa interrupt the puella's daydreaming "… But you do realize that your populations didn't know magic? And that half of the thing that made this invention work is magic too?"

"And as much as I didn't want to break you further than Marisa already did…" Ran adds with amusing tone. "… but we're not graduated from this world remember? If we ever tried to present this, there'll be question about our identities, and I doubt they will overlook someone who just offered new and strange technology which didn't have any scientific theories supporting it."

"Ahh…" Oriko replies sadly, shaking her head in disappointment, but still cope with it, after all, her father working with law and politic, why should she forget about those obstacles? "Perhaps you could find the alternate universe of earth that has both magic and science, but then again… they would've invented this already if they coexisted."

Marisa chuckles. "Yeah… but you, on the other hand, would benefit from this…"

"Really, even I couldn't perform any magic besides flying?" Oriko asks with curiosity and hesitation. Even she knew from the past two weeks that the three magicians never lied to her, well, except Marisa that is… But still, if it's truly serious, she can also speaks only the truth, thus, it's understandable since it came out from Marisa, and it's not really a serious matter considered that she still have a privilege of flight which gave her more than enough advantage already…

It's Alice who answer that question, since she's the one who help invented this transporter with Patchouli after all. "Yes…" She move closer, appeared clean of dust, before looking at the building of Mitakahara outside the abandon building they appeared in. "…Since most of the power for transportation already gracefully supplied by your country's power plants, the only energy needed to exert from out part is drawing the glyph, rune and magic circle, oh, and inserting a small amount of magic, not much more than when you used to fly of course…"

Young puella's smile brighten a bit, considered that Alice never lied to her apprentice, and she's the one who know in and out of her own invention, thus it's more trustworthy than Marisa who barely help constructing it, much to the black-white's dismay that her apprentice trust Alice more than her in this matter, prompt her to frown and looks sideway while calling the last one of the group who has yet to speaks a single words after arrival in the city. "Hey, Patchy… why you're so quiet? Says something… Patchy?!" She called out again and turn toward the last member, but words died in her mouth thanks to what she saw next.

Instead of the purple magician standing or sitting on the ground, the sight of the unmoving great library lying on the dusty floor, hugging her knee tightly as if she's in the middle of winter without any means to protect herself from coldness, shaking violently, sweating all over her bright-red-like-a-ripe-tomato face contract to her usual nearly white pale face from not getting that much sunlight. And the worst of all… is that she started coughing, spraying red blood from her mouth all over the floor next to her!

"Patchouli!" Everyone rushed toward the down magician, trying to help her despite not knowing what happened to her. Alice's mind start recounting the method of power flow transportation they used earlier to find out what went wrong with the youkai-witch, but quickly dropped that idea considered that herself, who's also youkai, albeit turned not so many years ago, is unaffected. But the one who seems to reach conclusion first is the black-white, who place hand on Patchouli's forehead before shouting out loud, withdrawing her hand and start shanking it as if she just touch a burning candle.

"Her heat shot through the roof! I never saw her this ill before!" Then she turn to Oriko, who currently kneeling to her side, serious expression on her face at the sight of blood and sound of Patchouli's panting heavily, hands slowly picking her up, with Ran and Alice helping her on the other side of the sick librarian, who seems to be on the verge of unconscious at any moment.

Once Patchouli's arms slung over Alice and Oriko's shoulder, (Ran's taller than them in human form than when she has her tails and ears out, thus Marisa guess it was where those fluffy tails went to, maybe?) Before slowly making their way to the exit, while Oriko call out to the black-white witch. "Marisa, put your hat down and search pocket to my right! I kept the map of Mitakahara there, locate the hospital quick!"

"Hey! We still don't know where we are in this city aren't we? How the hell we're supposed to get there? And what's wrong about my hat?" Marisa pointed out the missing facts that yes, they're in the Mitakahara, but where in it? Considered that Ran take whole week to get through all districts… wait…

Marisa then turns toward Ran who slowly walking behind the group and asks inquisitively, well, if you called death threat a question that is. "If you say you don't know where the nearest hospital is, I'm going to have you eat Master Spark right here and now, hiding from Kyubey or secret keeping be damn!"

Ran held out both hands and tries to dissolve the situation by asking other two to help calm Marisa down, however glancing toward Alice and Oriko do not yield any positive result, since both of them stopped walking and now looking at her, then gesture toward the bus stop nearby as if to say "You know where's the hospital, please lead us the way." Politely, but still a request nonetheless…

Seeing that she has to be a guide for them to get to the hospital, Ran sighed, but not out of boredom or annoyance, merely resign to her duty… sure, Oriko probably know where they are once she read the board at the bus stop, but she's now carrying one dead weight on her shoulder with Alice helping, she's not going to have an easy time doing anything soon. Not to mention, a waste of time which Patchouli's condition might worsen, resulting in longer stays if not out of commission for the rest of the mission that her master sent them here to deal with…

So, Ran steps toward the bus stop, then do the unexpected by calling the first taxi that drives pass by for them instead of the bus!

"Wa… Wait!" Marisa yelled out when the small car parked next to them near the walkway, and Ran opening the door. "How're you supposed to pay for the fee? I think this's expensive isn't it?" She then turns toward Oriko for confirmation, which only answer is a nod.

Oriko then asks Ran to reconsider, however unsure and hesitation evident in her voice, because for one, she doesn't know how severe Patchouli's condition is since she's not human, but she also concern about their money, which needed to pay for her treatment and cannot spend much on such method of transport too. "I think we should call the hospital with phone and have their ambulance pick us up, or did you have doctor back… 'there' to take care of her? Could sending her there a feasible task for us now?"

Of course, Ran knows that 'there' in the puella's sentence mean Gensokyou, but she shakes her head and replies cryptically since there's a non-magical folk (taxi driver) close by. "It's too far and takes too much time… which we don't have… and too risky…"

She didn't need to elaborate further, Alice, Marisa and Oriko instantly knows that while they're outside of concealment bound field such as this, it's next to impossible to use magic on such a scale without tipping off incubator. Of course, parallel world-traveling is not something that easy to do or require small amount of energy, especially transporting an unconscious patient such as this. To sum it up, even their local doctor back at Gensokyou could probably cure Patchouli within days, (Which they knew she could, she's not called 'Brain of the Moon' for nothing.) it still has too much risk on this operation to be considered feasible.

The driver, who's a man in his thirty, shot Marisa a curious looks due to her odd questions and then shrugged, seems to think that he's dealing with foreigners considered their blonde hair, thus her questions are quite justified. However he feels like he had seen this grey-haired girl in Victorian era dress whose carrying ill girl in pajama somewhere before, but know not where or when. Thus he opens his mouth to answer Marisa first.

But once he saw that the ill girl coughs again, splattering the walkway with more blood, he change priority and forget what he's about to says altogether. "Damn it…" he mutters to himself. "Social service again?" And then yell at the group in Japanese. "What are you waiting for? Get in now, this girl won't wait for you! We need to get her to hospital ASAP!"

Then he jumped out of the car and quickly pulls Patchouli and everyone inside, ignoring the protesting Marisa saying they couldn't waste money on, thus she settle on speaking to the one who called the taxi in the first place "Your pay! No Objection!"

Ran didn't speaks back, but her golden eyes which glare at Marisa for a brief seconds clearly comply to the request… or order to be exact, while pointing at her pocket for emphasis to calm the black-white witch down. Meanwhile the taxi quickly accelerate, and in seconds, leave the abandoned building which is their landing point behind, speeding up toward the Mitakahara hospital before it's too late… (Not that he knew what Patchouli truly is and how much she could endure of course.)

However, due to the rush to get Patchouli to the doctor of this city… er… of this alternate world, no one, not even Oriko, noticed the brief glow on the sapphire blue gem adorning the puella's collar, which faded into normal once they leave the area…

Once they come back from the hospital and try to use this beacon to return home, they'll be in for a big surprise…

* * *

**Author Note**: It's a bit slow for this chapter to come out, sorry for the delay.

As always, I'm open to reviews and criticisms, if you have anything to says then say it Okay?

nased0 : Of course, they can't, this's already stated in canon that do so will revive the witch. Which chapter of anime I can't remember, but it's there.

While we're on the subjects, hope you all Okay with the explanation I give in this chapter regarding this subjects.

And Thanks to akibara for help of rewriting the prologue, it's a lot better than original, in term of language that is...

* * *

PS. Did someone know what game Ran's playing? Hinting at the infamous overpowered encounter for reference… he he he…

And also, can anyone find the reference of their method of going to the Mitakahara without flying? First clue is Certain Alien invasion RTS game... quite old now… I think 2007 is its release year, and it's from the race composed entirely of robot!

Oh, and by the way, next chapter will be the appearance of certain guy who cause grief for certain blue hair girl, and also the appearance of some main characters from the main series… no… not Reimu or anyone from Gensokyou, else I wouldn't choose 'Mystical Chain Magica' as its title isn't it?


	8. Chapter 7: I Wanna see surprise guest!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 7: I wanna see surprise guest!**

It turned out that the distance between city of Mitakahara and Kasamino that they thought to be 40 kilometers is true, if you only measured it from the edge of each town, not including the size in consideration or measure it from the center at all. Added to that, it take the taxi nearly 30 minutes running at high speed from street to street to get to the hospital in the center of the city. And judging by the amount of buildings they passed by, industrial districts and commercial district, it seems that Ran didn't exaggerate at all when she told them she took entire week to cover all ground.

However big the city is, or the workloads of detailed mapping for the city that lies ahead of them cannot find its place in their mind at all once they rushed out of the small cab, leaving Ran to pay up the bill while the rest carrying Patchouli toward the entrance, uncaring if she's in basically a nightgown in broad daylight (Patchouli), or in a Victorian-era dress (Oriko, since she forgot to transform back and now can't do it without attracting attention, well, at least she still has enough sense to removed her Bishop-like hat before coming out of the building to get the cab, thus lower the weirdness somewhat.) it's safe to say that only Marisa and Alice is the most normally dressed of the group right now.

Predictably, when they rammed the front door of the hospital, which is a huge building spanning hundreds meter in length and shoot upward into the sky several levels, open and flock inside, the receptionist greet them with surprise stare, the same could be said with patients and their friends, cousins, or even nurses. Not a single word from the reception asking why they're coming here in such a weird and out-of-place dress, they all too surprised to say anything… and the group are the same…

But before someone will start laughing at the weirdness, Patchouli coughing loudly, splattered the floor with another pool of blood that expanding the more she cough in front of everyone in the main hall of the hospital, and that kick-start the chain of events in the form of scream of one of the woman, the receptionist quickly called the doctors, nurses jumped into action, quickly rush the nearest empty hospital bed to Patchouli's side, which then they help Oriko, Marisa and Alice putting her on it facing upward. Then another nurse rush in with some kind of mask connected to a small bag of air which she quickly use it to cover Patchouli's gasping mouth.

Once all of these are done, they push the bed toward one of the Intensive Care Unit room and shut the door after Patchouli's bed went through, but not before telling the group to stay outside and wait for doctor to come and questioning about her conditions prior to getting here.

And thus there they were, sitting on a bench at the opposite wall of the room's entrance watching patients moving from wards with nurses taking care, with or without bed, sometime on wheelchair, with mild interest in case of Marisa, or staring at the red light above the door in case of Alice and Oriko. All their thought focused on their purple haired magician friend, nearly not notice a voice of a young boy calling out to them.

"Hey… miss…" Somehow Oriko felt that the voice is directing at her, considered that she's the one with the weirdest dress of the group it's understandable, and Alice's hand on her shoulder only confirm that belief, thus she turn toward the source.

"What is it?" She ask, while her neon-green eyes catch sight of a young boy, probably a year or two younger give or take, staring back with his dull grey-eyes of unhappiness matching the color of his own short neck length hair, his slim figure in pale khaki patient shirt and trouser sat on a wheelchair which nurse who cradle him seems to stop by to chat with another nurse, leaving him next to the group. Lacking noticeable injury, Oriko's first thought that he has some kind of disease, maybe Polio, but then she noticed that his legs, while not encased in a cast, still has bandage showed out as well as his left arm. Thus she reaches another conclusion that he might involve in some sort of accident, cripple his arm and legs instead.

The boy continues to stare at the older girl for a few more seconds before finally answer her. "Well, it's not every day you can see someone in such out-of-age and out-of-place outfit like you… did you just came out of some dancing party?"

Oriko glance at her other two companion, and Ran who just joined them, seeing that she wouldn't get answer from them, she decided to finds her own and replies him back, a little embarrassed once he remind her how weird she look now. "Er… not really, you see, my friend suddenly fallen ill badly enough to cough blood, and we rush up to get her here, so I didn't have time to change yet."

"I see…" The boy replies back, seem a little… sad? "Sorry for asking strange question miss, but was it your friend that's inside that room?" he then use his good right hand pointed at the door of ICU with red light above, the very room that Patchouli currently resided await doctor's treatment.

Seeing there's no reason not to tell the truth, Oriko nod a bit, cause the boy to speak again. "I hope she's not crippled for life afterward, it's… terrible to be like that."

"You make it sounds like someone important to you has suffered from the same situation." Marisa, who seems to notice what's going on, joins the conversation with a blunt statement as usual, catching the boy's attention and his mood darken.

"I…" the boy hesitate a bit, but then he still replies. "Because I am one." He glances at his left hand in bandage, cause other to look at it. "I was a violinist you know." He smiled a bit when recalling his memories, a pleasant one. "It was my dream to become famous, to play the violin on the stage… I even once played it during marriage celebration, a dance party…"

"So Oriko's dress reminds you of a dance party you once made your performance I guess?" Marisa interrupted the boy, who didn't look that annoyed by her, instead, he nods to confirm her suspicion, a small sad smile appear on his lip, clearly that was one of the happier time in his life.

Then his face faded back into dark mood once more before he tells them more of his story. "Then I get into an accident… it happened months ago." His eyes stare at the white clean ceiling before turn to face the group again. "I've been confined in the wheelchair and lived my life here until it recovers." Then he shakes his head. "But even then, doctor told me that my hand has almost none of that chance."

Not sure how to comfort the boy, Oriko choose to silent, but Marisa, being a loud mouth she is, approach the boy, who startle in surprise when she pat his head. "There, there, you're in one of the most advanced medical facilities in this city, sure they would figure a way out for you… just like… my friend in there." She pointed bitterly at the ICU door, while Alice decided to joins her friend next to his wheelchair, nodding a little at both with a small smile, trying to comfort each other even when her blue eyes still giving out distress mood herself.

Clearly, Marisa and Alice didn't want to think about Patchouli too much, yes, she's hundred years old youkai-witch who, despite this sudden illness, will sure to overcome it in the end. But it still cannot comfort her and Alice since this's alternate universe they're currently in, and the doctor who didn't showed up out of the ICU didn't help the situation at all, thus finding something to divert their attention to is a good idea to ease their worries, and the conversation with the boy just simply perfect for that task even it didn't divert that much from the subjects.

The boy stared at the blonde duo for a while before saying. "My doctor says that I shouldn't hope too much, and that it's a good luck already for me to survived, but thank you, that means a lot."

It was then that the nurse suddenly remember that she must take the boy back to his room, she then approach the wheelchair, then begin pushing him away, but he asks her to wait, before turning to address the group one last time. "By the way, I'm Kyousuke Kamijou, pleased to meet you all. Again, thank you for listening to my story, I hope your friend can make it through as well."

"Marisa… Kirisame" Marisa decided that trying to be polite won't hurt, thus decided to exchange their name with him while also shaking his hand with hers.

Alice is the one who seems not like the idea of speaking with stranger that fascinating much, she gave Marisa a looks that say. "Is it necessary to tell other our name?" But Marisa shrugged and prodding her finger with Alice's shoulder signaling her to do the same. The puppeteer tense a little, then sigh, and tell the boy her name, while Oriko is the last.

Seeing that the conversation is over, the nurse pushing Kyousuke's wheelchair along the hallway and disappeared into an elevator afterward, with three girls bit him good luck, before they all turned back toward the door their friend disappeared in once more.

Time passed for another hour, and the green light shine from the sign above the door, which followed by a middle aged man in a mask and white gown holding paper file, who once saw the three girls, quickly make his way toward them then asks question. "Are you three the one who's with 'Patchouli Knowledge'" He slowly read the name on the paper, before looking up to see all three nod their head to confirm his statement, thus he continues. "OK, this might take a time, but relax…" He adds when the girls frown. "… Your friend's condition is now out of danger and now she's sleeping if you still worries about her" that made the girls sigh in relief and ready to hear what he's about to says. "What I'm going to asks you now is to gather data for determine the treatment afterward. We can't get a proper medical attention if the patient or their related do not shared their own knowledge about the illness of their own."

It was Oriko who know enough about hospital and healthcare procedure in this world, that decided to break the doctor's tirades by apologize and says "I understand, we'll cooperate."

After that the doctor launch questions after questions at the group, commonly focus around behavior of the patient and their living environment, which Oriko has to admit that she know nearly absolute NOTHING about her own teacher despite living together for 2 weeks already, but on the other hand, Alice and Marisa fare better due to they've known each other for years and thus can provided what the doctor needed more than her. Another fifteen minutes passed and the doctor satisfied, he shakes his head a bit then proceeds to tell them what happened to Patchouli.

"She has a very weak immune system…" Doctor stated. "Due to malnutrition, lack of sleep or rest, rarely exposed to sunlight… lead to asthma, etc… etc…"

"Sorry doctor, but please could you make it short." Oriko asks politely after she catches sight of Marisa start clenching her fist due to running out of patience. "How bad she need medical attention? Could we cure her back at home?"

Doctor frown a bit when reading the report, then shakes his head while looking at Marisa and Alice, who say to be Patchouli's accomplice. "I know you're worry about your friend, we just give her antibiotic and necessary nutrient to solve the problem somewhat, but we still need to watch out for allergic reaction for the next two week at most."

"I see…" Alice said. "So we have to pay for her stays in the hospital, correct?"

Doctor scratches his head while looking at Alice. "Well, since you all were foreigners which the government didn't included healthcare service for, so yes, you all have to pay for her stay."

"I've paid for the room for her stay in hospital already, you don't have to worry about it…" Ran, who suddenly appears from the corner and move in, speaks to the group, who's just one second short of shouting at the doctor, literally in case of Marisa. "Before you accused me for anything, yes, sorry for being late, but that's why her room was paid, Marisa, are you OK with that?"

The black-white let out a loud hump then looks the other way as to not let the nine-tailed fox in handsome business suit sees her satisfying smirk that now Yukari's wallet going to pay for them again, while says. "Fine, thanks for the help, Ran."

At that moment the door of ICU open again, and the bed carrying Patchouli, who get changed into the hospital patient gown slowly moving out. For the magician herself, she's currently asleep peacefully despite mechanical breathing apparatus attached to her nose and mouth and one arm has Saline infusion struck into her pale skin, much to her friends' relief that at least she's not coughing up blood or in pain anymore.

And thus another half an hour wasted on reviewing Patchouli's conditions and get her to the room, which happen to be the one next to that boy they met, well, at least he's quiet and not making much noise thus the sound is not a problem, but doctor seems to insists that once Patchouli's condition deems good enough, they'll demand that she take up some physical exercise to improve her frail body and weak immunity. Something that Alice and Marisa just shrugged and said. "Well, served her right for being Hikikomori."

Finally they were able to leave the hospital, while Ran decided to stay there along with Patchouli, stating the reason that Yukari gave them the mission to stop the giant witch who will destroy the multi-universes, not her, and while Ran herself is best not to break her master's order, the situation has changed so she choose the least offended one instead.

When Marisa asks why someone must stay with the downed witch to watch over her, stating some nonsense about **'Viewer are morons' **_without telling the group who the viewers in question were_ yet again, Ran is the one who answer it while looking at Marisa and Alice with her golden eyes. "Although Patchouli is at her weakest state at the moment, she still emitting magical power as strong as yours unconsciously, now, considered that she's as strong as you two, don't you think some uninvited guests will show up?"

Marisa then slammed her fist in her hand. "Oh yeah… I forgot about witches and Kyubey… well, no more objection now, see you later Ran!" Then she and other move out of the room, waving hand at the handsome businesswoman (Ran) who waved back, before they closed the door and move out.

It was nearly 16.00 in the afternoon when they're able to leave the hospital thanks to Marisa insisted on buying some Sake before heading back, intended to greets Patchouli with it the next time they visit (Alice asks why not they gave it to her now, but no answers from the black-white.), riding the bus back to the bus stop next to the abandoned building which housed their power flow transport beacon, although the experiment was a success, none of the inventors (and apprentice) are in the mood for celebration, considered that they just lost one of their comrade, albeit temporarily, they still need a new plan to compensate for their friend's unexpected absent quickly since time won't stop for them.

But it seems lady luck is not with them today, once they step inside the dimly lit hall of the abandoned in the afternoon, a sudden chilling atmosphere unlike normal cold greet them, along with the distorting image of wall and stair in the center hall slowly replaced with something that goes straight out of the badly child-drawn scenery. A circular brownish hallways with endless stairs and pillars with Picasso-style portraits and even rows upon rows of organisms (Well, if you can called it organism at all!) which looks like paper cut of white cotton ball with black mustache for head connected to the black stem with butterfly wings for its leg and vines with scissor for hands marching around carrying rose buds everywhere as if it was ants carrying food back to their nest. While in the air also sports mustaches-bearing pink bell-like creature with dozen of eyes on its body and butterfly wings at its back as a mean of transportation flying in packs all over the place.

Once seeing what they've got themselves into, Marisa quickly summed their situation up in two words which likely the same as what inside Alice's and Oriko's mind at the moment. "Oh… Crap…"

Then the army of flying mustaches pink bells seems to notice the intruder, thus rush toward their position… blotting out the sun. (If there's any sun in the barrier to speak of that is…) And the battle ensues…

* * *

The sun is setting, orange light illuminated the abandoned building which Marisa and her friend entered earlier for the couple final hours of that day also reveal a dazed middle aged woman in business suit who just jumped out of the balcony at the top of the structure, dropping down at high speed and will impact with fatal force on the ground in a matter of seconds.

However, her death has been avert by glowing golden threads appeared out of nowhere which caught her mid-flight before gently drop the unconscious woman down to the ground next to three teenage girls who's happen to just going to walk inside the compound.

Kneeling beside the apparent attempted suicide woman was a girl whose figure catches an envy of those who just enter puberty in white blouse with detached sleeve, brown short skirt with black striped stocking and black boots, a yellow beret with a flower shaped golden gem and feather adorn her head along with the blonde hair that tied in two curling twin tail at the side of her head. Her yellow eyes look at the unconscious woman with concern before turning to another two companions standing nearby.

Another girl is a short tomboyish blue hair matching her eyes in middle school uniform consisted of cream-color long sleeve blouse with red ribbon at collar and white-black Tartan pattern short skirt with knee height stocking and simple shoes, hand holding baseball bat. And the last one is a pink haired twin pig tail girl a little shorter than her blue hair friend in the same school uniform, but she wears white stocking instead of black and has the creature that's known as Kyubey resting in her arms. Both of them dropped their book bags on the front doorstep of the building, and are looking between two older women, nervous and fear shown clearly in their eyes.

After she saw that the suicide woman is safe and won't be waking up anytime soon, the eldest girl with the beret speaks to others. "Let's go." Then she rushes inside the building, two schoolgirls (plus Kyubey) in tow.

Instead of finding anyone inside, they just find a large empty hall, devoid all sign of humans or anything unusual, but the leading girl then stares at the stair in front of them, which suddenly began to shift, and a glowing strange orange lining form into a crown-like symbol in mid-air as if it was a transparent wall blocking access to the second floor, surrounding temperature suddenly seems to drop down due to sheer malicious the thing emitted.

The leading girl smile a bit, uncaring of the weirdness display, then she grab the baseball bat in the blue-hair girl's hand, turning it into elaborate white bat/scepter, causing the girl to shout with impress at the beret girl. "Wow, this… is wonderful, Mami-san!"

"It won't help much, Sayaka, but it's better than nothing, so stay close to me, you too, Madoka." The girl named Mami replies, while warning the girl who wield the bat which name's Sayaka and the pink haired Madoka, who all reply that they will do as she asks. And then, without any more words, Mami ascends the stair, walks right into the glowing symbol and disappear from real world, follow up closely by Sayaka and Madoka with Kyubey in hand.

No one aware of another presence tailing behind them, a shadow of a waist-length hair girl standing at the building's front door watching one magical girl and two normal schoolgirls with Kyubey disappear into the witch barrier, with unreadable expression on her face.

* * *

Five minutes of running along multiple distorted landscape of a witch barrier later, the leading magical girl Mami, now holding a flintlock rifle (seems to be magical) in hand, nervously scans her surrounding for enemies movement, while the other two watching her back for possible ambushes, but so far none happened.

"Mami-san, why the barrier seems… too quiet… this time around?" Sayaka asks nervously, and then she speculates. "Did they employ psychological warfare against us? Or they're assembling a huge army waiting ahead to crush us?"

Her nervousness is justified, because the last time (also the first time she learned of the abomination's existence.) they ran into horde of familiars swarming from every angle despite have yet to encounter the witch herself. But right now, by Mami's word, they're in the territory of the same witch that sic familiars to kill her and Madoka yesterday, yet it surprisingly quiet, aside from the mustaches cotton head familiars tending to the vast rose gardens below the walkways they're on, only very, very few of the bell-like creatures trying to attack them before meeting the barrel of Mami's flintlock rifle and get blown off in a single shot.

'_Witches are more driven by instinct, their desire to wreak curses and tragedy upon human, Sayaka-san'_ Kyubey in Madoka's arms replies. '_They know not of such complex strategy and had no need for such thing, however the situation here is quite disturbing nonetheless.'_

"What do you mean, Kyubey?" the pink haired girl who carries the creature asks, eyes widen and looking around non-stop since she come into this accursed territory, as if the moment she relax, the familiars will pounce at and kill her in an instant, like a minute ago where it dived from the sky while Mami is shooting at the one in front of her, before Sayaka catches sight of the thing and rushed in, clubbed it aside with her enchanted baseball bat before it get finish off with Mami's rifle round.

'_It means that we're not the only one who trespass this barrier…'_ Kyubey answers, its red eyes move to stare at Mami, who nodded in confirmation before she knelt down to the ground and called out her juniors to take a look at something in front of her.

"Wha… what is that" Sayaka exclaimed, eyes widen at the sight before her, dropping baseball-bat in the process, while Madoka nearly let go of the white rabbit creature in her hands in shock of the sight she's seeing.

Ahead of them is a crossroad that has rising smoke from patches of flame that have yet to consumed all its fuel considered the smell of alcohol that they sense from the surrounding air, dozens of thumb-sized holes in the cracked pillars that formed the crossroad along with burnt marks in shapes of what could mean that witch's familiars serves as fuel source for the flame that killed them also scattered around. In short, it looks like a brutal battle has taken place here not long ago, as the damage of the construct formed by the witch's barrier has yet to repair.

Mami's face turns dark before explains what she could observe and speculated to the group. "We must hurry, someone certainly in danger without him or her knowing it!" without a moment to rest, she start running, while Kyubey have to yell telepathically to Sayaka and Madoka to have them ran after her before lost sight of each other.

"What? I know that a battle took place not long before we get here, but how she could tell that people in danger? Aren't they finished already?" Sayaka asks Kyubey while she and Madoka are running a few meters behind their senior, who just shot down another familiar on the way and discards her rifle to the sideline when it's clear from the surrounding that whoever that's ahead of their group already cleared the path, or rather, attracts the familiars to them, leave it deserted.

'_The battle scars are non-magical, me and Mami can detected that the non-witch magical power left in those place, which are sub-par and very faint [1].'_ Kyubey, who now hanging on the pink hair girl's shoulder replied with concern in its voice, then continue to elaborate. _'It means that someone, who also has magical potential enough to become magical girl just like you two, has been caught in the barrier, and instead of panic or die by the familiars, they fought back, with some success I might add from the evidence we had here.'_

"They fought well if you ask me." Sayaka mutters, looking at the path ahead, which still littered with what they thought to be the signs of battle between supernatural being and a **normal human**. "I mean, Mami said that normal human cannot see witches, and if they're trapped inside the barrier they're effectively dead, yet… these sign tell me that they'll wipe at least half of the witch's minions out before they bite the dust!"

"Can you save them too, Kyubey?" Madoka asks, concern evident in her voice, uncared of her friend's praise to whoever still fighting out there despite have no power.

But her answer comes from her senior and the only magical girl in the group. "I wish it'll never come down to that, Madoka-san. Using wishes like that should be the last resort, either you or whoever out there." Her voice clearly riddle with turmoil in the last word. But suddenly she raises her rifle up and stopped running, looking ahead sharply while gesturing other to stop and silence.

'_Mami, what's wrong?'_ Sayaka used telepath which Kyubey granted to them to communicate to not break the silence, looking around fearfully when she heard the sound of explosion and fighting up ahead, hand clutch tightly on her magical baseball bat, while Madoka also has the same reaction to the sound as well and slip in between her senior and her friend for safety since she has no weapon to protect herself.

'_There're one… no… three magical signatures up ahead, and the center of the witch's barrier is not that farther away from them either!'_ Kyubey replies, causing the two tagalong girls to gasp in surprise.

'_What? They're this near?'_ Madoka exclaimed, eyes look around another crossroad they found themselves in as if another people will be just round some random corner.

Then she hears it, the noise, as if someone is arguing with each other while the sound of battle still raged on, it echo all over the place making her have a hard time finding the source, however Mami seems to not have the same problem because she quickly rushes to another corner next to her, prompting Sayaka and Madoka to follow, with Kyubey in tow.

What they see next was the sight of a large bridge crossing the void of emptiness, many bell-like familiars and the cotton head swarming three people who get caught in the clearing without cover from another end of the bridge. Explosion crackles again with around dozen of cotton ball familiars catch fire, flailing around wildly in futile attempt to extinguish the heat burning their head, heedless of their allies they stumble on their own comrade, passing the torch to one another setting more and more of them on fire.

Then the three figures responsible for the carnage quickly use that chance to fall back toward Madoka's group, some flying bell creatures trying to follow, but they suddenly get shot down by a blue streak that threw out from one of the girl's hand. The one in the elaborate Victorian white dress matching with her long grey hair billowing behind, she's clearly covering the other two girls, who's both blonde, retreat.

Mami stood still, rifle raised, ready to shoot if any of the witch's minions decided to chase its preys, however it prove unnecessary since most of them still trying unsuccessfully to move past the inextinguishable firewall placed between the two sides, and those who do, which few and far between are all shot down by the girl in white slinging out something from her hand the moment they rear their head out of the flame, or just burnt down to cinder before they could take a step.

The duo blonde, who just gotten out of hot spot (literally) seems to not notice their presence yet, since the one in black-white dress and white apron still speaks to their own friend in disappointed tone. "If only you shoot faster Oriko, we shouldn't have to use that last makeshift fire bomb, damn… just another door and it is stratum boss already! But well, I don't blame you Oriko, since you have the weapon best suit for boss fight, not mob clearing, guess we can't get everything we needed with just this many party members and limited magic using."

"Stop speaking nonsense Marisa!" another blonde in blue dress yell while trying to backhand the former's head, but she missed by a millimeter. "It's just a mild inconvenience, we're right next to it anyway so wait the fire to die down and we could storm in, now just rest!"

"Yeah, right, we just dungeon diving to the boss's room and cleared the mob guarding it already." the girl who's name's Marisa quickly change her mood, dropping on the floor, leg crossed. "But, seriously, my sake! We have to wasted it to get this far! And I thought we're going to drink it for celebration when Patchouli gets released from the hospital!"

"I don't think it's appropriate for her to drink it, doctor says she shouldn't if she wants to recover." Alice crossed her arms while shaking her head. "But we're straying from the topic here, who care about a drink when their life is at stakes?"

Oriko, who just finished off the last batch of witch's minions, turned toward the arguing duo while scratching her grey hair as if she's unsure how to dissolve the situation, then her neon-green eyes registered newcomers at the base of the bridge not far away, thus she quickly warn the other, eyeing Mami's group warily. "Sorry to interrupt, Marisa, Alice, but we have company…"

Then they turned toward the three girls, two of whom in clearly an outfit of some school, while the front most one, in a dress that screams 'magical girl' all over despite it looks like musketeer outfit, albeit with a dangerously short skirt one, and last member happened to be the animal who technically the sources of all the problem they're trying to prevent, it's unsurprising that everyone tense up the moment they saw him sitting on the pink-hair girl's shoulder.

Meanwhile the other group stares at Oriko, who quickly get in between them and two girls on floor, her hand conjured another set of blue marbles between fingers, ready to attack, neon-green eyes watch Mami's movement warily, while still spares some time to glance back at her teachers and at Madoka once in a while watching out if some surviving familiars will try to attack from behind either of them.

It then dawned on the magical girl of Mitakahara once she look at the three strangers closely, the one in front of them is the_ only_ magical girl of the other group, evident by the glowing sapphire blue gem on her collar while the other two has none of the gem, or gem-like objects present, pretty much like her and Madoka and Sayaka, but strangely, somehow she feels that the two other from another group is not stranger in combat, and that they're older than what their bodies seems to suggested.

They all continue to stare at each other, unsure of what to say, until the first one from the newcomer's side to break the silence is Sayaka, who speak mockingly. "Well, and here I keep guessing what the badass normal that eat supernatural abominations for dinner would look like, I didn't expect them to be girls at all."

Marisa snorts at that words, clearly not amused by such comments, thus she retaliate back hotly. "Yeah right missy, and may I asks back why you are all here at all? This's not a schoolgirl's game you know!"

"That should be my question…" Mami interrupts, eyeing Marisa with suspicion and concern. "…Why some normal women who didn't make a contract with Kyubey intentionally get into the witch barrier? All sign we picked up along the way and what you've done right now…" She gesture toward the fire that started to die down on the bridge. "…It's clearly showed that you intended to fight witch, heedless of its supernatural power. If it's not because that one of your companion is a magical girl like me…" she pointed at Oriko. "…you all would have died long before we found you."

'_Mami-san, she and her friends here is not that all innocent about witches and Magical girls' affair…'_ Kyubey interrupt their conversation, his eyes fixated on the blonde in black and white, who shot the creature back a not-so-friendly glare which shared by her other companions, particularly Oriko or the magical girl that Mami identified.

Madoka seems too well aware of the hostility the other group showed toward the creature on her shoulder, she stagger back, causing Kyubey to jumped down to the floor, but Sayaka and Mami are too occupied by what the little contractor just said to noticed it even when they turned their heads back to address Kyubey at the moment.

"Wait? What do you mean? You're saying that these girls…" Sayaka point her baseball bat at the other two blondes "… are the same as me and Madoka?"

'_Yes, but unlike you two who take my contract into consideration, they rejected it outright when I first met them, in another witch barrier no less , and that bring me the question, why are you two here? Oh, and you too Oriko, I thought you were dead.'_ Kyubey turns toward Marisa and Alice at his last word, staring at them as if doing so will make them answer. Made Sayaka stared at the grey-hair girl in white with even more surprise in her eyes.

And he get it, once Alice stand up and move to Oriko's side, she glared at Kyubey for a second and replies softly while looking at Mami. "I'm curious about these 'Magical girls' and 'Witches' things, called it… what was it… scientific curiosity…"

"You're scholar? Wait! How old are you anyway?" Madoka asks, still uneasy about the glare they gave to cute little creature next to her feet and the wary looks directed at her from the magical girl in white. Despite all these, she still curious as how these two girls, who look no older than Mami could already graduate.

"Yes," Alice crossed her arms, gesture at Marisa who decided to stand up as well, before she tell 'distorted truth' through her teeth, well, it's some part of 'truth' after all. "Me, and Marisa here, are freelance scientists, we research and study whatever strike our curiosity, and before you ask, yes, we're older than you three, more than this magical girl as well…" She pointed at Mami, who sigh and proceed to correct the puppeteer's words.

"My name's Mami Tomoe, not 'This magical girl' you know, ma'am?"

"Then how you met with…" Sayaka asks, glance at Oriko who blinks at the sudden attention from Mami and Madoka "…her?"

It's Oriko who let out small smile, whose eyes caught sight of Alice's subtle hands sign which signaling at her, that answer Sayaka's question with the same vague half-truth. "Let just says it's a coincidence, and we saved each other from certain doom when we first met. That's why I agreed to lead them into the barrier when they asked me to…"

She trailed off, listening to the sound of an opened door echo from beyond the battlefield, before throws out her marble in a streak of blue light piercing through a single familiar who survived the firewall into pieces without even looking back, much to Mami's surprise.

"As much as I wish to have a conversation with you girls…" Oriko turn her back on the Mami's group, marbles ready at her hands. "… It seems we still have a business to take care of…"

"Agreed…" Mami nodded, glancing at the light at the end of the bridge which just appeared. "…Let's beat the witch, we can talk later… Miss..." She looks at Oriko, who slowly speaks out her name.

"Oriko Mikuni…"

"Seems Kyubey didn't inform you of our name… so, I'm Marisa Kirisame…" the black-white introduce herself, before pointing her thumb at the puppeteer who's frowning. "And this's Alice Margatroid."

"Sayaka Miki…" "Madoka Kaname… ma'am" two schoolgirls introduce themselves simultaneously.

And thus, the unofficial alliance was formed, the group who trespass the witch's barrier grew to the size of 6, and then they form a formation with Oriko and Mami at front since they're the only combat-capable of the whole group, Sayaka and Madoka who has no combat experience in the middle, and Alice and Marisa at their back, with the enchanted bat that Sayaka reluctantly parted them with due to Alice cites them a reason that the two of them once accepted a deals with dangerous military project before (If you called dealing with nuclear-powered raven demon a military project at all [2].), thus they're at least more proficient than her in battle, else they wouldn't live to this day. Then all of them marched toward the opened door and went inside.

It was a long corridor, ended with a gigantic cylindrical chamber which spanned about three stories below their ground level and shoot upward into the black void they couldn't see. Below them, is the grassy ground with some familiars tending to roses planted around the chamber with their scissors, and the end of the chamber stands a giant sofa which another equally gigantic creature resided.

"Is that… a witch?" Sayaka, who somehow managed to slip between Mami and Oriko along with Madoka in order to get a close look at the witch as if looking at the rare animal in the zoo, while other two seems not that curious to look at it, after all, they've fought dozens of this kinds before, it hardly a surprise anymore, thus they contented to watching their back for ambush instead.

"Yes…" Mami replies.

"Are… are you two going to fight it?" Madoka seems terrified, clutching Kyubey, who somehow found his way into her embrace when others are not looking, a little tighter.

"As if we can get out of here without getting the key to unlock the door first, and I doubt the witch would be kind enough to lend us said key." Oriko mutters for Madoka to hear, while looking sympathetically at the abomination that perch its green, devoid of all features but roses head up from it orange slug-like body to see the trespassers. No matter how twisted, mutated it has been, this thing still always former human, or magical girl, in Oriko's and her teachers' eyes, and they all have small regret whenever they have to kill one even they all will never admit it to others…

However, Mami, who has no such prior knowledge like Oriko just look at her, then turn to ask Kyubey to evaluate her potential allies. "How long does she contracted?"

Kyubey answer honestly. _'Last month if I remembered it correctly, but from the stance she took and what she displayed in battle earlier, I would say, whatever happened, she learned and adapt quite fast, I think it must be thanks to you two.' _He turned to address Marisa and Alice, who still guarding the entrance as to make clear who he's thanks to.

But that make Mami look at him questioningly, prompt him to elaborate. _'They have extreme magical potential hidden in them, strong enough that many witches actively trying to consume them to boost their power once they're in the vicinity, it's a miracle in itself that they could survived long enough to adulthood as they are today, I suspect that Oriko ran into them after they refused the contract with me, and staying with them to this day, they attracted many witches which she had to fend off to survive, explaining the experience she had.'_

"I see… a bodyguard... huh?..." Mami concludes when she saw Alice shot her an affirmative glance that confirmed Kyubey's theory, and then turn to address her fellow magical girl. "Well, so, would you like to defeat it together? I'll share the prize."

Oriko however didn't listen to the blonde, her neon-green eyes lock on the abomination that clearly not like the idea of being ignored at all if its roars was any indication. "I don't think we have enough time for discuss, everyone clear the corridor now! Take Cover!"

Everyone panic at her shout but still has enough sense to drop themselves flat to the ground, avoiding black vine that shoot out like lance past through where their head had been seconds ago by a millimeter. Meanwhile Mami grabbed the baseball bat that rolled toward her when Marisa dropped to avoid witch's attack, then slammed it to the ground, creating a rainbow color barrier surrounding them.

"This should keep them safe." She announced, then jump down into the chamber, crushing some familiars and rose under her feet, causing the witch to divert attention to the threat in its very room. While Oriko take off to the air, flying at high speed up the chamber to provide support.

And the battle commenced!

Mami summoned dozens of rifle around her the moment witch took its gargantuan body up in the air by its giant butterfly wing on its back and start flying, then she quickly shoot her flintlock against the high speed gravity defying monster, who despite gigantic size still agile enough to fly circle around the blonde puella without any hitting it at all.

Dozens shots without any damage or injuries on the witch except hole in the chamber's wall passed and Mami suddenly feel something wrapping on her heels, turning to look at the source, she gasp at the sight of the familiars forming into a vine-like rope tying around her legs, immobilized her, then the witch turns around charging at high speed trying to crush the hapless musketeer with its sheer weight and momentum.

However its victory is far from assured, when three thumb-sized marbles streak downward from above, tearing 'roses' adorning the witch's head apart with extreme precision despite the speed, cause the monster to shriek in pain when the red petals shattered from it head, shifting its flight path unconsciously, it sheer mass slammed down on the rose garden, missing Mami by a dozen meters plume of smoke formed up around the ground zero, obscure its body from view.

Mami quickly conjures yellow ribbon from her hand, slicing the binding down in one fell swoop, then she turned toward the witch who still trying to pick itself up from the ground without success due to marbles pelting at regenerating roses on its head which seems to be its weak points, or at least inflicting enough pain for the witch, continuously. She decided to prepare some attack that will finish off the witch in one shot, but more familiars, the cotton head one, swarm her position, thus she had to shift her attention to dispose of them first.

The witch itself known well of its only unoccupied attacker's position above itself and conjuring more small white bell familiars which flying in line reaching up the sky trying to chase down and binds the white dress girls down, but Oriko constant zigzagging, rolling, somersault mid-air prove too much for instinctive intelligence familiars possessed, she constantly outmaneuver them, and once in a while shooting a single marble, which precisely strike the leading minions down sending the entire line into disarray and disperse, keeping their number low enough and unable to corner her.

"Good job! Keep it occupied for a while! I'll be right there!" Mami shouts, ignore the cheer that came from Marisa on the corridor while she herself finish off the last remaining ground bound minion, although her accuracy left much to be desired seeing that many holes in the surrounding, she made up for it with the sheer number of powerful, hard-hitting leads that went down the barrels at blistering rate, a feast that's just short of fairies in Gensokyou when you exclude the lethality.

After freed herself from the horde, Mami shoot her flintlocks in succession on the ground around witch, who's too occupied trying to protect its 'precious' roses which Oriko seems all too happy to target (Who wouldn't target your enemy's weak point?), using its large body to cover the paper-cut flowers, ignoring another adversaries on the ground completely, while still sending horde after horde of fliers to try shooting the agile white bird in the sky down.

Mami take a moment of peace looking at Oriko who's now nothing more than a white streak on the ink-black sky with small smile, her offensive power may lackluster, but the precision, speed, agility, and wits to identified witch's weak spots in a few moment during first encounter, are all top-notched compared to her, added flight capability and they're more than make up for the raw-power she lacked, she really wished that, after this fight end, they could really become a good friends.

The witch roars again, this time to the many golden threads that sprouted from the bullet holes Mami shot earlier, binding it into a giant lump on the ground. Waste no more time, Mami pulled out her collar's ribbon, which glow brightly in yellow before turning into giant flintlock cannon aiming its barrel straight at the witch's head, the glow in the barrel brighten as the magical energy charged into them.

And then Mami shouts in triumphant finger pulling trigger. "Here it ended, _**'Trio-Finale'**_!"

Massive wave of energy shot out from the cannon, bright yellow light engulf the green head of the witch and vaporized it in seconds, leaving only trails of cursed black smoke dissipating from its 'corpse' dropping one grief seed behind.

While the witch barrier start falling down around them, returning them to the second floor of abandoned building which they entered earlier in real world, Mami returned to her schoolgirl uniform, the same one that worn by Sayaka and Madoka, before walking casually toward the seed that left behind, at the same time, Oriko slowly gliding down, hovering above the floor for a few seconds, glance at Madoka, who suddenly feels uncomfortable as if she's under surveillance, then at Kyubey, before shift her sight toward her teachers who exchange look at each other, and finally touch down.

"Here, here…" Mami called out to her fellow schoolgirls, picking up grief seed from the ground for everyone to see. "This's the reward from defeating witches I'm talking about…"

Then she explain the utilities regarding the seed to others to hear, Sayaka and Madoka seems terrified a bit that it's witch egg, required Kyubey to confirm that it's indeed harmless, before Mami pressed it against her soul gem to show how to cure corruption inside it and turned the soul gem back into ring form. After that, she turn toward Oriko, going to asks about the purification, but what she saw made her stop.

The grey-hair girl still in her puella dress, glancing her neon-green eyes around the place warily, as if she sensed something that the other couldn't, also, the only two adult here (Or so they claimed, since Marisa and Alice didn't told them their age.) were all standing in fighting stance, back facing each other and Oriko's, hands balled into a fists.

"Wha… what the…?" Mami ask nervously, her instince as a veteran puella magi started to come back, telling her that something is wrong, but then she let out a small smile then looks at the dark corridor before speaks loudly. "You should come out at once! You're startling other people here… Akemi Homura!"

Madoka and Sayaka, who lacks the experience in life and death situation looking at each other, not understand why all the elder girls suddenly tense like that, who Mami just shout to? And they nearly jumped in fear once the sound of someone walking along that dark corridor was heard, a shadow cast in the light of sunset, before a waist length dark-haired girl in the same school uniform slowly show up, her expressionless violet eyes looking at the blonde puella, before darting toward her fellow friends from the same school, and finished at Oriko and her other two friend / partners.

"…" the girl name Homura stood still, observing the scene before her silently, then looking at Oriko again, this time, she seems to leaks killing intent from her small form directed toward the grey-haired puella, enough that even Kyubey decided it's not in his best interest if the fight to break out here, thus he quickly send telepathic message to Mami and her friends, particularly Madoka. _'She's even more hostile toward Oriko than toward you three! Calm her down before the problem escalate!'_

"Homura-chan…" Madoka called out nervously, make the dark haired girl nearly flinch, killing intent died down in the instant while she turned toward her classmate, but Sayaka then block the smaller girl from view, eyeing Homura furiously. "Why you're this much of a jerk? Are you going to be like this toward everyone who's close to Kyubey or puella magi? Did you…"

"Calm down, miss Miki Sayaka… let me handle this…" Oriko interrupt before Sayaka could speak further, her neon-green eyes locked with Homura's purple one, memories from her clairvoyance the day she contracted surface once more, and thus leads to her understand what this girl is and how to react. "I see what you're going to do… and I shared your sentiment as well…"

"…" Homura eyes widen in horror, glancing at the creature that finds cover in Madoka's arms once more warily, as if Oriko's going to reveal something in front of these people, and she knows in her gut that violence here means another 'attempt' instantly, furthermore, considered who she's facing and her capabilities, she wasn't sure that she would win, thus she speaks to her _'victims in many past attempt' _nervously. "What are you planning to do here this time?"

Madoka and Sayaka looking back and forth between the two puella magi, their heads trying to make sense of the vague sentences they threw at each other, Kyubey also unsure about what they're saying and thus speechless as well as Mami, but at the same time, Marisa and Alice fare a little better, they catch an eye winking from Oriko which linger at Kyubey for split second that only danmaku experts could possibly catch, as if to say. "Leave it to me, I'll explain later once we're safe from incubator's eyes and ears." Thus they pretend to be as clueless as other.

"As long as she's not doing it… I assure you that I won't do it… Besides… it's not true solution to this problem anyway... so I'll try to find another way… hope it won't come down to _'that'_" Oriko finished her conversation, which seems to make Homura… relaxed?... somewhat… she eyes Oriko, who still in puella outfit, for a few seconds, trying to evaluate trustworthy of her words, before finally deemed that it is and bowing a little, saying words that Sayaka never expected to hear from the new transfer student to anyone at all. "Thank you…" to Oriko, then leave the scene.

"Well,…" the blue haired girl said, hand scratching her head, then turn toward Oriko, eyeing her suspiciously and asks. "What's that all about? How can you made she leave like that?"

"It's…" Oriko trailed off, trying to find a words to describe what she just done without revealing her true ability to them, well, even though Kyubey knew what her wish was, it doesn't told him more than that she saw herself become a witch so the chance that he could accurately predicted what it is depend on her answer right now.

And thus she replies with a small smile to eliminate the discomfort or suspicion from the other party. "It was one of my powers as puella magi stemming from the wish I made, it's useless in combat since witches never negotiate…" That causes Mami to giggles a bit. "But against people, it let me accurately guess what that person's personality was… so I can acts accordingly."

Mami nods and not probe further, after all, what puella's used their wish for is best kept as secret from others unless she wanted to reveal it herself, considered that Kyubey also follow this policy, she should as well abide it. Thus she quickly shift the matter toward other things by handing grief seed out, asking politely. "Ah, I almost forgot, thanks to you that cleared the witch barrier out before we arrived, we encounter little resistance and my soul gem is not as dark as it should be, but for you…" she looks at blue gem on Oriko's collar which became dark blue already. "This should cleanse it."

Marisa then shouts at the group ruining the mood quickly. "Hey! Where my flame sake bombs, girl? Didn't those fireballs help you at all?"

However, that prove to be what they needed to make everyone lifted the heavy atmosphere which befall them all since arrival of mysterious dark hair puella, Sayaka laughing out loud, while Madoka start giggling, and that sound give Oriko an idea.

The white haired puella shakes her head, decline the offer of grief seed despite contribute the most in the barrier, but before Mami could asks why, she apologize first. "I'm sorry that I've to decline your offer, but, in exchange, I wished that all of you may heed my warning at least…"

Mami draws her hand holding grief seed back, confused at Oriko's words, then she saw that her schoolmate (and possible magical girl juniors) also has the same look, she nods and agree. "Go ahead."

Oriko draws out her breathe, relief that the puella in front didn't sees decline of grief seed an act of hostility, then she speaks. "You should reconsidered asking these two…" she pointed at Sayaka first, then at Madoka before continue. "…to become magical girls, they are not ready."

"What?" Mami exclaimed, but Marisa interrupt what she was about to says. "Hold on, Miss Mami, I know that Kyubey pointed out that they have potential and they have the rights to contract." She pauses a bit then continues. "What Oriko's saying is, their mind is not in good for someone that must go out to fighting abominations! Not about they do not have anything worth wishing for."

Seeing the rage in Sayaka's eyes and frown that marred Mami's face Marisa adds more of her thought. "And more than that, but I'll keep it short. Look young miss, me and Alice had been offered the contract too, but did you know why we turned down the offer?"

Everyone except Oriko and Alice shakes their own heads, as expected, thus the black-white elaborate further. "The wish is a miracle right? Even though with a cost, but instead of asking yourself that _'Is it worth fighting witches?'_ why not asks _'Will you still proud of yourself that whatever you wanted has been handed to you on silver platter instead of from your own abilities?'_"

"We both see wishes Kyubey would grant as part of his contracts as nothing more than a wounded pride and easy way out of whatever problem we faced." Alice joined in frowning at the creature. "As long as it's not a matter of life and death, people should trying to do things to the best of their abilities, even if it's impossible and you failed, you still failed without regret and proud of what you've achieved even a fraction of what your goal was [3], and that's remind me of why we are here." She finished her sentence in unrelated subjects, causing Mami's group to confuse on top of an already mind-blowing no-hold-barred berating of Kyubey's contract.

Thus it's logical that someone from the schoolgirls group would ask something, this time, it's Madoka "Er… If you're not here to hunt witch, what are you here for then, ma'am Alice?"

Marisa and Oriko giggle at the honorific Madoka gave to their friends, earning a short glare from the puppeteer before she answer the girl. "Well, it's a certain combination of magic and technology we're experimenting…" She then move to the wall nearby and touch her hand on it, revealing a magical circle with complex runes engraved on it. "You see, we're from the nearby city, not in Mitakahara…" She revealed.

Oriko then quickly stepped in to explain the basic of the spells they're experimenting on since they've to act as if Marisa and Alice are just scientists and she's the sole magic user of the group to not alert Kyubey of another school of magic that present on earth.

'_Fascinating'_ Kyubey compliment them with not-so-concern voice of his. _'But a pity it still in experimental and too volatile that we cannot use it without risk yet.'_

"Yeah…" Marisa shrugged, and then telling them half-truth again while Alice is busy making a mental note to erase the guidance rune from the power flow transporter the moment they're back at Mikuni's household to prevent Kyubey from following, not that he can now though. "It's a bitch to work with this one, what's with constant assault from witches nearly 24/7? We nearly not have enough time to sleep!"

"Well, it seems our time here is shorts, my stomach is growling…" The black-white stated while gesture Oriko to activate the beacon. "A pity we didn't got a witch sample again, but at least I could say,… nice to meet you three here." Alice nod to them at those words while Oriko start pouring her magic power into the beacon, cause it to start glowing, ready to fulfill its purpose.

"Oriko…" Mami called the older puella, who turn her head to listen to. "Thank you for today, hope we can become good friend in the future."

Two magician and Oriko all nods to each other, then the puella took Marisa's hand, who in turn took Alice's, then the white haired puella press her free hand upon the rune which envelop three girls in pale blue light before turning into ball and shoot to the transformer outside of building and disappeared on the power line toward the Kasamino town. Leaving three Mitakahara schoolgirls and one magical creature, who started to scramble out of the building to check on the suicide woman outside, behind.

* * *

**Author Note:**

And thus another fight scene, I hope it's not too bad, well most of it lifted up straight from the anime anyway, that's one of the reasons why this chapter is so fast to come out.

Did you like the outcome of Homura's encounter? If not, please tell me why, I made them based on what information I had about them, that's all.

[1] It's established in Oriko Magica that Oriko's offensive power (not counting her support power.) are sub-par among the magical girls. And since they don't know how long exactly the battle took place, so it's possible that the magical energy left in those small marbles will decayed and lead to such conclusion for Kyubey and Mami, but well, they figured out the truth anyway once they met in person.

[2] Subterranean Animism reference of course.

[3] Modified from… well… Fate/Zero. King of Conqueror's (aka, Iskander) motto, if I'm not mistaken.

PS: Next chapter… the infamous chapter from the anime, would you like certain someone to die? Or would you like certain someone to live? Oh, well, I ask for the sake of asking, so you all not going to change my mind, unless there's too much complain for me to handle.


	9. Chapter 8: I wanna keep this a secret!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 8: I wanna keep this a secret!**

"OK, Oriko, explain what are you doing there, and what's those gibberish are all about too!" Marisa demand the moment they emerged from the beacon back to the safety of their house inside the bound field. Sun already set, replaced orange sky with the ink black darkness with a glimpse of orange on the horizon and artificial lights illuminating the streets. Yet from the black-white's temper at the moment it's likely that this household will not experience peace and coldness of the night anytime soon, and Oriko knew it that it's her responsible to calm her teacher down by telling everything she knew about.

At the same time, Alice quickly dispelled the beacon inscribed on the runic circle, so that someone on the other end of another beacon couldn't tracked it back to their stronghold, while they all still capable of going back and forth between two locations without problem.

Contrary to what they've told Kyubey, this device didn't depend on destination beacon at all, instead, once the users know exactly where he/she wished to go and can project the image of such location in their mind, they can travel vast distance along the power cable with ease provided that the government still supplies it with electricity. The rune just only predestined the location they're going to send users to and nothing more.

However, when Alice stands up and going to join Marisa in interrogating their apprentice about Homura, another dim light flash behind her eyes before died down. At first she thought it to be some random vehicle passing by the main gate, they set the beacon up in the rose garden, after all. But the puppeteer suddenly sense another magical signature apart from her, Marisa and Oriko coming from behind, albeit quite weak, she quickly turn around, power flared up inside her, ready to cast spell at the intruder…

… Who's someone that she's going to ask Oriko about!

In front of her stood the dark haired girl they met earlier today, purple eyes which gazed upon the puppeteer filled with surprise… and fear... but only for a second, then her eyes harden and she heard a clicking sound below, cause Alice to look a little below and found out that the girl in front of her no longer in her school uniform anymore, it has been replaced by white long sleeve blouse with purple collar and matching long ribbon at her back, purple short skirt covering her black stocking, completed with high heel boots, round-metallic-shield like object with two red orbs strapped to her left arm, while her right arm now has hand gun aiming at her belly.

"Homura Akemi…" Alice called out loud enough so that Marisa and Oriko, who stand a good dozen meters away, could hear what's going on and alert of an intruder. "Did you know that what are you about to do is killing an innocent people right?"

Homura's eyes widen, nearly dropped her gun at the statement, no matter how cold she is, her mind still that of a teenage girl and not a killer, not to mention that the woman in front of her is someone she never met before and thus doing nothing wrong to her or Madoka. Alice's words made her hesitate a bit before her resolve come back to bring the gun to bear once more, thinking that a split second of opening won't make much a difference against human by her experience, but against magician who dodge swarms of projectiles on regular basis, it's more than enough to change the situation around...

In a blink of an eye, the puppeteer whirl around, her hand clamped on Homura's gun's arm and squeeze hard like a steel wrench before she could react. The puella activate some form of magic in panic judging by a surge of Mana she sense coming out from herself, causing Alice to reinforce her magical barrier preparing to take it on at point blank, but to her surprise, the field of some sort envelop her and her attacker altogether, while the rest of the world went into monochrome, wind stop blowing, noise ceased, her dolls that fly out from the main house to help by her command frozen still, and even Marisa and Oriko who saw all the event unfold and rushing in to help her also freeze like a statue, only thing that still has color and still moving are herself and Homura!

Facing someone with the same power before [1] Alice now has a vague understanding of what this girl get from her _'magic contract package'_ and from what was displayed she know how to counter her ability. And thus the puppeteer tackle Homura to the ground before she twisted the aggressor's arms behind her back, leaning on the puella body, squeezes the gun arm with inhuman force (Alice's not human anymore, anyway.) to the point of nearly breaking the puella's arm to make her to drop the weapon in pain, which somehow had lifted her time stop as well, and thus Marisa and Oriko could get to her side along with dolls army she summoned, which quickly ties Homura in robes to prevent her from escaping or using that power again.

Once the situation is under control, Alice speaks politely with the bounded girl who still shot a look of defiance and anger, the latter is more evident when she glares at Oriko. "Homura, what's the point in using violence the moment you saw someone that's anomaly from what you used to see? And doesn't what Oriko had told you not satisfy enough?"

Homura curse under her breathe for underestimating the blonde who pinned her down, berating herself for such mistake that leads to her current state. Of course, it was entirely HER mistake to not consider why normal human, who outright rejected the contract, still accompanies puella magi on the witch hunting on regular basis? Scientific curiosity aside, there're only two types of people who's willing to put themselves in such harm ways, idiots who will die the moment witches or familiars look at them funny, or someone who can at least pull their own weight in battle. Which by all accounts to what Kyubey said while she's stalking them on the way to fight Gertrud, she should've at least KNOW that Alice and Marisa are the latter!

However Marisa quickly broke the tension by asking in annoyance, hand grabbing her witch hat delivered by Alice's doll. "What the hell Alice? Did you just join in with Oriko's gibberish nonsense conversation? At least speaks clearly so other can understand will you?"

Alice ponder what to say to calm the girl who's pinned on the ground next to her for a moment, before standing, move near Marisa and Oriko, then whispers to them. "Prepare to fight but do not unless she still insisted on attacking us, Oriko, use your clairvoyance, with your current experience, this one is outright impossible for you to survive without it. Marisa, she likely has the same power as Sakuya, be careful."

"I know…" Oriko replies while Marisa nod with serious expression on her face, and thus, Alice snapped her fingers, causing the robes, which are magically enchanted to torn apart, freeing Homura, who quickly got up and exploit the opening by activated her shield since others are good distance enough from her they'll never caught up in her time stop ability, allow her to attack them or escape at leisure.

Thus once the world turned monochrome around puella magi, she realized that, with Oriko fully prepared and present here, she'll need to employs a lot of firepower to ensure that even with her clairvoyance she still couldn't escape, and for that she needs spaces to deploy her arsenal without getting too close to any of other adversaries.

However, considered that her arsenal is limited, wasting them here and now means less firepower against Walpurgisnacht, who already proved to withstands and force Madoka's hand every time so far, not to mentioned that… she looks at the still forms of people around her, particularly the puella in white, deep in thought. 'She's not hell bent on killing Madoka to stop the end of the earth as the other timelines I saw, not to mentioned she's not good in combat nor her wish allow her to fly… hell… many, many timelines before, I never once saw puella magi with flight ability before! Things are certainly different here.'

Now Homura seriously consider her options, at first she wanted to test out this invention, and trying to decipher whether Oriko still a threat to Madoka or not, before eliminating her if she must, but now… as Alice put it a moment before, is she seriously must stain her hand with more innocent blood when it comes down to that? Someone who… out of their mundane fighting skills and creative mind of scientists to turn sake into makeshift fire bombs, have nothing to do with all the mess aside from their own curiosity at all? Puella magi is one thing, but… to civilian is another…

She then sense that her time stop is running out of power, she sigh, turn her back on the group, decided to find some place to hide and try to spy on them first, but it was then that she saw and realized something out of ordinary and it made her gritted her teeth…

There're dolls, Orange Victorian dressed dolls everywhere around the rose garden! Not just laying lifelessly on the ground, but stood firm in circle around her and others, surround on all side not just on the ground, but floating in the air! They formed into a giant net that ensnared all inside, allow no one to leave without touching one of them since the gap is too close, and something about them, which Homura saw in their eyes, says that they're more than a normal dolls she saw in antique shop did. She wouldn't surprise at all if once she got close enough to this puppet to nullify her time stop on them and they'll spring to life and attack her.

"Damn!" She curses, eyes lit with fury at the second mistake she did today, to cause the gap between dolls to loosen, she have to let the time flow, which will also make other three quickly capture her while she's clearly trying to escape, but if she let the time magic continue to do its work, she'll also trapped when it run out of juice anyway.

Reconsider her options for one last time, she sighs, accept that she has been defeated, and dropped her magic…

The first thing she heard once the time flow once more was Marisa let out a humph, hands on her waist and says. "And so, how long did you take time to think, missy?"

Homura eyebrow twitch a little, shot an unfriendly glare at Oriko who standing next to the black-white in protective stance, thought that she told them what her ability is using that clairvoyance, however a more pressing matter is in the form of dolls around her, which confirmed her suspect that they're magical constructs and not just a normal dolls since they still float in position to block her escape should she attempt the time magic again, on top of shooting a cold lifeless stare on her, hands armed with rapier and kite shield pointing at her threateningly!

But the presence of the dolls also implies one thing for certain, there's another magic user in this household helping Oriko at the moment! But who, Homura has not a single clue, since another lackey of Oriko from other timelines never had power to control this many dolls, and Marisa and Alice, who's in front of her did not have any sign of soul gem on their persons! Thus ring them out as the dolls user.

Unfortunately that she didn't think about the possibilities of having more than one school of magic, or particularly… Incubator magic contract… However, her belief did not last long once Alice summon another doll, which has a different black maid dress, long blonde hair with red ribbon and razor behind her back, out of thin air, who then proceed to float to the eye level of Alice in front of Homura no less!

"Yes? Master?" it asks the blonde, looks full of energy despite being a doll!

Alice then instructs her doll. "I'll transfer the housekeeper dolls' command to you, take care of them and have some make dinner for four, while I and Marisa speak with the newcomer OK?"

"Kay, you have it Master!" the doll salutes, before flying off at high speed and disappeared into the household in a blink of an eyes, much to Homura's confusion.

"Show off…" Homura heard Marisa mutter, which pushed her nearer to the point of disregarding reason and running off or try fighting the unknown, had it not for the steel she carved in her mind during the endless torture, she would've done so long ago.

Thus only words she could form and let it slip her mouth were the statement made to the puppeteer. "You're Puella Magi, aren't you?"

Alice lift her hand touching her forehead, appeared to be in pain from headache, eyes closed, which also shared by Oriko, while Marisa simply giggle, before burst out in laughter in front of everyone. "Bwahaha, twice now… Alice… first Oriko, now her… Looks like you have something that made them think as such? Maybe your dress… or the way you a… Ouch!"

What 'way' she wish to says, Homura may never hear it, since Marisa was cut short by a fist that somehow managed to send her flying good 5 meters before landing on the rose bush. Glancing back and forth, she found Oriko make a priceless expression of 'unsure what to do' that if she was herself in the past, she would've laugh already, while Alice seems to have not-so-funny expression marring her face, cold air constantly bleeding out around her telling everyone presents to not interfere, or face the consequence.

However, for Homura, or magic users, she can quickly identify that the cold air itself is not normal feeling when you see someone whom you shouldn't mess with angry, but an actual supernatural power radiate from the small form of the puppeteer! Thus that leads to the oblivious facts confirming her suspicion, that even they didn't contract with Kyubey, they still had magic nonetheless.

So, her next question direct toward the group is. "Who are you two? How can you use magic if you never contract with Kyubey?"

Marisa, who pick herself up from the rose she landed on, rubbing her rear as if she was hurt, before approach the standoff once more, open her mouth to says something, but the glare from Alice shut her off again... before the puppeteer explain herself. "As Kyubey said before… we didn't contracted with him, nor any kind of his species, what you saw here…" she moved her finger up front, pointing it up next to her own eyes, then to Homura's surprise, blue glowing ball of energy appeared on the fingertip before floating slowly toward the dark haired girl, force her to step back a bit, then it dissipate with a snap of Alice's finger. "… Is the result of our study, our hard work, and our determination in magecraft." She declared, quite proudly.

Homura's eyes widen at the revelation, the thought that there are other magic school outside of Kyubey's contract seems to never crossed her mind before, but Oriko seems to share her own sentiment, since she sent her an understanding nod. "It may hard to wrap your head around, but they're telling the truth…"

Seeing seriousness in the other girl's eyes, Homura cannot deny such blatant facts in front of her anymore, thus nods her head, which make Marisa, who somehow sneak next to her without being noticed, clapped her hands and shaking it. "All right, let me introduce myself properly then, I'm ordinary magician Marisa Kirisame and this…"she pointed at Oriko, who's currently scratching the back of her own head while smiling at Homura embarrassingly. "…is our apprentice-in-training."

"Huh?"

Alice's eyebrows twitch at the puella's reaction before asking in tired tone. "Seriously, do you puella magi ever thought of training yourself up? Or you're just relying on power bestowed upon you by the contract?"

Homura's face redden a bit at the subtle insult she felt inside Alice's words, before she replies, nearly shout back in anger which cause Marisa to quickly let loose of her hand and step back. "I'm not that lazy! You have no idea what I've went through don't you?"

"Then care to share your stories with us?" Oriko move straight to the point, causing Homura to glare at her, but she didn't flinch or feeling threaten by it anymore and also return the glare, which backfire on Homura to be the one who took a step back instead. "We know you have time magic, and I could see the future… no… using that word is incorrect…" She corrects herself and speaks politely. "… Possible future… It showed me what you really are, but it's not polite to speak about other's secrets without their permission… and of course, as I've stated back then, I know it's not a real solution to do it that way."

The look on Homura's hatred glare didn't go without notice, and it made Oriko sigh, before trying to convince her again, while her teachers stand watching the firework… er… no… as sentry. "Look, I don't know what you've went through, but all possible future, if me, or anyone here who know the truth about that little bastard did not intervene…" At this point, Homura's hands started twitching, as if she wanted nothing more than strangle the girl in front of her. "… I saw you fighting all alone, never once asking for help, never once turning toward other, despite you're facing something that one girl alone could not take on… And that's what forced your friend's hand… no… your 'former friend' to help you in the end, failing what you wanted to achieve entirely."

Homura's eyes widen, mind ponder what she just heard seriously for once, was what the girl in front of her… who she always killed off before she even had a chance to do anything at all, was right all along? Was the path she walked through countless times failed because she never ask other's help? Or it's possible to win alone but failed because of her incompetence?

However, her thought was ruined by growling stomach of certain black-white witch, who rubbing her blonde hair embarrassingly while asking everyone there. "Well, it's dinner time already, why not we stop this stupid standoff and eat? I doubt anyone could think straight when they're hungry…"

"Care to join us? I ordered my doll to prepare for your place too." Alice adds.

Homura looks at other girls around her, deep in thought, before finally answer timidly. "Then… Tha… Thank you…"

* * *

After the dinner was served and everyone are filled, Oriko, who's now in her casual dress along with Homura who transformed back into schoolgirl uniform, began introduced her friends… her teachers to Homura, without obscure anything due to everything that happened up until now telling her that this girl do not trust anyone anymore, reasons didn't matter though, since if they were rather get one more ally than one more enemy other than Kyubey anyway, so do not lied to her is a good start.

Once she's done with the explanation, Homura sit still at the dining table, teacup in front of her turned cold thanks to never touching it, her mind swirls with confusion and disbelief, knowledge of fantasy, science and myth long forgotten in her never ending quest of saving her dearest friend surfaced from the abyss just to confirm whether what she heard was a truth or not at the moment.

Marisa, Alice and their apprentice sit on the opposite end of the same table, enjoying their tea to quell their thirst from explaining things to the dark haired puella, or what their expression now says… that is. Only Alice and Oriko who're the more serious members of the group that seems to eye Homura analytically, trying to anticipate what her reaction would be or what she will do next.

However, knowledge from her clairvoyance, although seeing only in future, still tell a lot about this girl to Oriko, she's not hoping that much that the girl will immediately join their ranks, whatever she had been through seems to forced her to erect a shield of emotion to cover her 'weakness' long time ago, and that take time and effort before they're dismantle completely.

Thus, it's not surprised her in the slightest when Homura stood up, unreadable expression on her face, as if she put up a mask to hide her emotions, and bow to them before speaks in emotionless tone. "Thanks for the meal, although I didn't trust you, but I'll give you benefit of the doubt."

She then turns back, moving toward the door ignoring the dolls scramble around the room doing their chores, but once she reach the doorknob, she speaks for the last time, a warning. "As long as whatever you planned didn't involve harming Kaname Madoka in any way or form, I'll accept the truce you purposed between us, for now."

"Are you sure you don't need someone accompany you back to home?" Marisa asks, seeing that this may be the opportunity to gain more insight about Homura if someone were to ride along with her. "I mean, our 'invention' still in experimental stage, I don't think you can used it yet, beside…" She pointed at the window, heedless that the girls don't even bother to looks back at all. "It's already dark, and you're a good distance away from your home, I think your parents might worry about you, heck, when I first moved to live in the forest, my dad worries sick of me every day for one year before he finally let me take care of myself." She adds her own memory as if trying to persuade Homura.

Homura stand still, saying nothing for a moment, then finally answer without turning back to looks at the group of magicians. "I can take care of myself by conventional transport, I guess…" She looks at the clock on the far side of the wall to confirm, then continues. "… Well, the bus still running at this hour, so it's not a problem."

However, before she could step to leave, an idea struck her, the two blonde who stayed with Oriko might have no knowledge of the impending apocalypse more than what they told her, an impossibly strong witch that possessed the power to destroy multiple dimensions and universes which will appeared a month from now on in Mitakahara, they do not mentioned Madoka, in any form or anyway, and her warning to not let them harm or involve Madoka are vague at best, they might view her warn as nothing more than friend worrying about their friend, which Madoka is anything but that!

She relented for a moment, how many untrusted feeling she harbored toward Oriko might be, she feels that her promise not to harm Madoka was genuine, and that she might keep her words this timeline since she's clearly not the only one in charge like other timelines anymore. Marisa may seems carefree and mischievous, but she could tell that she's as reliable as Alice, who seems to be much older than they look, feeding them more information to have them help keeping Madoka off Kyubey suddenly not seems so absurd and likely to backfire like all those timeline she tell the truth to someone anymore.

Speaking of which, Homura finally turned toward the other puella magi in the room and states, not asks. "You knew this from the started right Oriko, how the witch that will destroys our earth… no if your story is true then, every universes known, will formed?"

"Yes…" Oriko replies, before getting to the point that the dark hair puella and her teachers are about to ask. "… I knew it, but I think that its better if you, who involved in everything leading to my teachers being here, to be the one who telling us of what had transpired."

Homura bit her lips, before decided to give them some information. "The witch that will bring destruction to this and every other world will be born from the girl named Kaname Madoka…"

"Huh? That pink, twin tail girl we saw today?" Marisa asks in surprise.

"Yes, and only if she was to contract with Kyubey and become puella magi like us…" Homura flipped her hair, then stare into everyone's eyes to show seriousness of her statement. "…As long as she do not become puella, and subsequently become witch, the mission you two were sent here are as well as done. However…" She paused. "…within a month, another witch, whose power dwarf any of its kind we faced so far, but not as strong as Madoka's, will arrived at my city, wreaking havoc to all who lived, it's…"

"…This witch who will force Madoka to contract since she's the only one with enough raw power to overwhelm the witch despite have no training to speaks of." Oriko finish the sentence for her, earning a glare from Homura, which she just shrugged it off. Thus Homura sigh and nods to confirm the white haired puella's words.

Silence reign over the room after, the magicians sit still, deep in thought processing what they've just learned, until Marisa broke it. "Well… that's certainly…" Marisa state and then pause due to lacking the word to describe what they've just known.

"Unexpected?" Alice finished it for her fellow from another world, which earned another frown from Marisa. "Yeah… that's it I guess."

"The problem is Kyubey already with Madoka, so it's only a matter of time before she fell for his trap and contract with him." Alice speaks with concern. "And judging by what he had done, trying to get rid of him will merely make the girl doesn't trust what we're going to tell them later to justify our reason, things surely get complicate."

"Yeah, and we can't go around blowing the crap out of Kyubey either, what a pain." Marisa mutters in annoyance.

Homura, who trying to ask why they don't do just that considered they're just foreigners stopped dead in her track once she thought it through, they're also at risk of Kyubey learning of their own home world and try to get more contract there, if one of these Incubators ever slip past the barrier between parallel world… she shuddered, it just mean more and more people who will suffer by the damn alien and even more chance that someone with the same wish as her will generate super abomination to destroy multiple universes, and if that happened, her quest of saving Madoka will become instantly pointless. After all, if the witch could destroy multiple universes, even she could save Madoka, that witch from another universe probably do them in anyway.

Thus she speaks, bitterness evident in her voice. "Please, do what you can to defeat Walpurgisnacht, the giant witch that'll befall this city at the end of this month, without Madoka getting involved or contracted, and we're all completed our mission."

Then she turn toward the door and leave Mikuni's household for good, without even saying goodbye to anyone, and this cause Marisa to fume a little at such rude behavior.

"What's an attitude…" The black white said after Homura was surely out of earshot, or rather, out of the house completely. "But at least we still get something out of this meeting, I'd says it's not a complete lost, if she's only join us..."

"I wonder what she had been through to make her become like that, no teenage girl of such age should've such attitude, even by Gensokyou's standard." Alice comments while pulling herself up from her chair, dusting off some non-existent dust before moving toward the main hall, and that garnered her friend's attention.

"Eh, are you going to sleep now? It's too early at this hour you know?" Marisa asks curiously cause the puppeteer to glared back as if she's trying to ask 'why asking such idiotic question?' before she sigh, turn back to face the black-white witch, and asks in vocal exactly that. Prompt Marisa to answers the same as before "Viewer are moron."

Alice suppressed the urge to facepalm herself before hissing in annoyance. "We've to reinforce the bound field, since Kyubey knew that we stayed with Oriko, he might try to spy on us, and where's the better place to begin searching for us than her house?"

"Oh, yeah… um…" Marisa scratching her head, know not what to says.

"Furthermore, the bound field Patchouli erected around this house works partly on the principles that those who actively look for us know not where to start, or where to look for, this will reinforce the spell power…" Alice pointed her finger in circle while giving off explanation. "However, once the searchers know as little as where they should try looking first, the spell power diminished and that someone with magical power might be able to see through the veil that casted upon our stronghold."

"I see… so the more they don't know, or don't believe that we will hide here, the bound field grows in effects." Oriko summarized, earns a nods of appreciates from the puppeteer who resume her walk outside the main compound.

"Wait, let me help!" Marisa yelled out, jumped from the table and move toward Alice, who stopped at those words as if she didn't expect it at all.

"Pardon?" Alice raises one eyebrow, clearly surprise by the black-white reaction, glancing back toward the only puella in the house, she also has the same reaction as her, surprised.

"I said I'll help you" Marisa repeats again when other seems to lack reaction. "Let get it done real quick so we can go to sleep already!"

Alice chuckle a bit, but not replies anything before heading out into the garden, with Marisa and Oriko in tow…

* * *

Three days later…

The hospital of Mitakahara is quiet, especially the rooms for patients who have to stay there for better monitoring and treatment by doctor's orders, which designed as such to made the patients rest comfortably as possible without anything to disturb them, even those who comes to see them will also had to abide this rules without exceptions.

Such atmosphere is godsend for bookworm like Patchouli, if there're any books in her room to read and pass time that is!

The one week wizard has changed her clothing against her will, from her usual purple and violet pajama into hospital patient uniform of dark green blouse with matching trousers and forced to lays down on the bed, resting as much as possible as the doctor who oversees her advised it as a way to recover from her sickness that incapacitated her few days ago.

Aside from doctor and nurses who came by to check her from time to time, there's also one another permanent residence in her room, Ran Yakumo, in her usual black businesswomen suit which she wore from day 1 till today without changing, currently sitting on the chair hospital provided scripting something on paper which looks like a formulas or math problem of some sort, muttering to herself, apparently without paying attention to her.

However, knowing the serious nature of the nine-tailed, Patchouli knows that Ran didn't ignore her, when she said she will look after her, she meant it and will never back off her word that easily! If only she will move out of this room to get some books for her she'll be perfect caretaker… pity that Ran seems to thinks that she couldn't let Patchouli off her sight least the incubator will get to her without her knowing and refused to leave her side at all.

At least, the 'telephone call' from Alice, Marisa and Oriko everyday quell her boredom somewhat, being in contact with the fellow friends who didn't stop dead in their studies just because one of their friend get sent to the hospital allow her to advise, listen, and exercise her intellect apart from the 'physical exercise' that doctor put her through in the last two days, easing her mind greatly that she still able to do something she's interested somewhat.

But those at Mikuni household, and by extension, several hundred kilometers away from where she was right now cannot visit her, thanks to the run in with incubator the day they sent her here, which means that Kyubey now knows that Oriko's still alive, and thus the bound field protecting their house need to be strengthen to prevent a breakthrough, which, by her own calculation that also coincided with Alice's, need extensive reinforcement of runes, boundary, and more that won't finished testing until tomorrow, until then, they all have to confined themselves in the house, cannot get out before it's completed.

Not that Patchouli irritated by such inconvenience, she'd rather keep their magic secrets from incubator as long as possible to keep up their advantage, if she must cut their communications down to just phone to help that endeavor, then so be it.

Still… sitting on the bed in such empty room all days long without much to do seem to add up on her, and today she's at her limit, curiosity of the outside world which she never experienced beyond books and pictures gnawing at her mind constantly, telling her to get outside of this confinement and seeing the whole new world that's different from Gensokyou.

And finally, she turns and talks to Ran, who still not done with the calculation of… whatever she's doing. "Ran, can you bring me out for a walk? Anywhere outside this dormitory that is… it started to get bored in here."

Ran didn't answer immediately, but turned toward the phone, dial up with the nurse who oversee patient dorm and speaking with her for a while, Patchouli only hear some nonsense words from the nine-tailed "yes, she didn't cough anymore…" or even acknowledge something from the other ends "I understand, no wheelchair so she could exercise her leg muscles… right… right… I can do it sir… thank you very much."

She closed the call, then move toward Patchouli who sat up on the bed waiting answer, before telling it to her. "Well, the doctor has permission, but I'm going too to take care of you, and we cannot get outside the hospital just yet, just the park next to this dorm is their limit." Ran said with the finality in her voice.

Patchouli nodded then pulled herself out of the bed with Ran's assistance, then they go out into the hallway, which surprisingly, there's another person there along with the nurse in front of the door leading to Kamijou's room which is empty since he's out for PT (Physical Therapy) at the moment if what Ran said about half an hour ago when she's out to restroom is true, and she's not the hospital's staff.

The girl in question, who's still chatting away with the nurse without noticing the two women moving out, is a middle schoolgirl with short blue hair in her uniform of cream blouse and black-white Tartan pattern short skirt, her blue eyes seems to fade a little when the nurse said that Kamijou Kyousuke is out for the PT as scheduled. She bowed, and turns to leave which coincidentally made her come face to face with the duo.

Sayaka blinked a few times at the sight of purple haired patient girl who's currently leaning on the blonde businesswoman's black sleeve with interest. She didn't think that there's new neighbor next door to her friend's room, or perhaps Kyosuke forget to mention them considered that they lived next to each other and she would've saw her, or nurse, or doctor entering and exiting that room already.

Well, whatever the case is, it's not important right now. Knowing that her friends are waiting, this happened to be the same way the two women currently walking, at least both parties paid each other no mind since they are all totally stranger anyway.

However, that all changed when they get back to the lobby, there, pink haired student in the same uniform, sitting on the bench, with one white creature on her lap, is Madoka, who came along with Sayaka when the latter going to visit her childhood friend, but opts to stayed behind due to the blue haired girl's 'feeling' for the patient.

Suddenly, the creature, which no one apart from the two schoolgirls can noticed, perch its head up and looking around for a few moment, before its reddish orbs fixated on the figure that lean on the blonde businesswoman for support while they made their way through the crowd toward them, not that they had a choice, since the exit is directly next to them anyway.

'_Who are those two girls, Sayaka?'_ It asks, surprise unusually evident in its voice caused Madoka and Sayaka to stunned for a moment, then crane her neck back to look at Patchouli and Ran, who stopped next to her, their eyes which focused on Kyubey filled with as much surprise, and narrowed down as if they just saw something that shouldn't belong in the hospital lobby.

"Girl…" the blonde businesswoman, Ran, speaks first, disappointment cleared in her voice, while still glaring at Kyubey. "Doesn't hospital have a rule not to bring animal into the building? I remembered reading that much before admitted my friend to stayed here and receive treatment."

"Y… you saw him!?" The pink haired girl asks, shocked expression on her face. "…you are adult, I thought Kyubey said adult couldn't see him isn't it?" she glance at the creature on her lap as to confirm her suspicious.

'_Madoka, Sayaka, better speaks outside, we're drawing attention here.'_ Kyubey replies, eyes not taking off from another two strangers, who he wondered how could he missed someone with magical potential long enough for them to grown up to adulthood like this.

Kyubey's words seem to be heard by the two strangers too, if their tensed body and wary eyes glancing toward surrounding people is anything to go by. However, Madoka and Sayaka didn't see it and decided to move out of the hospital, unaware that the two adult decided to follow them instead of going off to mind their own business.

Once they're in the parking lots of the hospital, devoid of people on the way back, Sayaka proceed to interrogate the little creature while walking, well, teasing may be a better word from the tone of her voice and that grin on her face. "OK, Kyubey, mind to explain why did you stares at that two beauties, I thought that you are lolicon and interest in contract with girl like us?"

Madoka's face redden by the hidden implication of such words, however, she nearly jumped when she hears another voice from behind, the voice of that businesswoman. "Yes, I and Patchouli wonder ourselves too, but it's about why we are the only one who can saw this blatant law breaking you two pulled off?"

The girls turn around and come face to face with the black suit businesswoman Sayaka saw earlier, along with the purple haired patient standing side by side, however, Kyubey use that chance to speaks to them, as it's an opportunity for him anyway. _'Well, I never thought that there'll be more adults with magical potential this great, my visit of this city certainly even more interesting by the minute.'_

Ran smirk a little since it seems that the incubator could not identify her true form, while Patchouli just frowned, take a step forward, and asks with fake curiosity, thanks to Marisa and Alice informed them of their situation, she knew that she must cautious around this one. "The world is vast and single person could only see so much, the unexpected is not that unexpected, am I right?"

Kyubey stare in Patchouli's eyes for a while before breaking silence. _'Indeed, young lady… Indeed… by the way why not introduce…'_

He was cut short when Madoka, and by extension, strangers, seems to avert his gaze and looking directly at something stuck on the hospital's wall, in the bikes parking sections, something small that's blinking and emitting black smoke out every few seconds.

"Th… that's…" Sayaka start shaking, horrified while pointing at the thing there, prompt Kyubey to jumped out of Madoka's arms and move a few steps toward it.

'_Grief Seed! It's nearly hatch!'_ He exclaimed, then turns toward the schoolgirls and the two adult. _'As much as I wish to converse with you two'_ he indicated Ran and Patchouli, who has surprised look on their faces, after all, it's not every day you can find talking animal, let alone telepathic one, isn't it? _'We must get out of here when we still have time!'_

However, the blue haired girl didn't amused by such idea, she quickly asks Madoka nearby. "Madoka, do you have Mami's phone number? Or that white girl from that day?"

"N… No" The pink haired replies, shaking her head. "We never asks them, and the white girl, erm, I mean Oriko, was in another city wasn't she? It'll take way too long for her to come here!"

Sayaka waste no time order the pink haired girl, dropping her bag to the ground. "Fine, Madoka, you go and find Mami, I'll stay with it!"

"What!?" Madoka exclaimed, while Kyubey also ask Sayaka the same, citing that it'll take a while for witch to hatch, and that they should come back to search for it later with Mami, however Sayaka didn't bulge, she tell that she's doing it for the safety of people in hospital. Thus, Kyubey cave in and decided to stay with her, so once the reinforcement arrived, he could use telepathy to guide them in the right direction.

At the same time, Ran and Patchouli content themselves to watching the scene played out in front of them, seemingly ignored by those schoolgirls and Kyubey alike, exchanging glance and telepathic message of their own. _'Seems Kyubey… what's it? Care for them?' _Ran asks.

'_I doubt that…'_ Patchouli replies while looking at the pink haired girl who's running out of the parking lot. _'Maybe he only cared because these girls has potentials to become magical girl, and by extension, witches that'll release power for him to collect, and let them getting killed too early means counterproductive. If he really did cared for them, he wouldn't content himself to only using such a horrible magic contract system without any improvement for god knows how long like this.'_

'_Agreed…'_ Ran nods a little, before decided that it wouldn't do them any good to stand still, after all, from what information Marisa and Alice passed onto them via phone, Madoka, the pink hair who just ran off is the one who will become great witch who will destroy multiple universe, but considered that Kyubey already in contact with her, they'll have to be cautious about trying not to let her contract and become magical girl, and thus, Marisa suggest that they raise 'relationship values' with her friend and the girl herself first.

Seeing the other schoolgirl, Sayaka is her name, still standing next to the grief seed the duo move in. "Girls…" Ran called out, eyes locked firmly on Kyubey who's latching on the girl's shoulder while putting up façade of someone who didn't know the existence of puella magi and witches. "Care to fill us in what's happening here? From the sound you make, looks like it's something dangerous, should I phone the police to look at this?" She then pointed at the grief seed, while Patchouli nod in agreement with the businesswoman.

Sayaka nearly jumped when the businesswoman in black called her, she then look at the blonde and then the purple haired patient before spilling out words after words, regardless that someone next to her were adults who might not believe what the kid like her going to says, much less such absurd stories about witch and puella magi. "No… no, authority cannot fight this one! Wait! Why ma'am's still here? It's dangerous, only puella magi can stop it!"

"Puella magi?" Patchouli started playing innocent, tilt her head a little while looking between Sayaka and Kyubey in fake confusion. "What kind of fantasies you're…"

She didn't get to finished her sentence however, since the little black orb on the wall choose just that moment to release a blinding light that engulf the area around them, and once the light died down, they found themselves in a strange and bizarre landscape that's certainly not anywhere in real world anymore.

"What's this?" Patchouli exclaimed, looking at sweets, desserts, cakes and even syringes of gigantic proportion that surrounded them warily, it looks like something out of the children's dream for her, yet somehow the atmosphere is terrifying, maybe by the account of the aforementioned syringes, or scissors, or some of those round donut-shaped thingies the size of a pig with limp legs and nurse cap on top that they saw running around?

Sayaka quickly explained, albeit poorly, barely get the point across. "We're in the witch's barrier, a… erm… dimension of sorts, that witch created." She then started walking in one direction, along with Kyubey in her arms, before looking back and saw the two people who get caught along with her still standing at the same place. "What're you doing?" She asks.

"That should be our question…" Ran, who taking up some form of martial art stance, blue eyes never stop gazing around, particularly the donut familiars, prepare to defend her charge, shot back question without looking. "If what you said is true, wandering around will only attracts attention, or even get you lost and no one can find us."

'_ma'am…'_ Kyubey decided to intervene, since this's adult they're speaking to, thus he understand that Sayaka's words are less trustworthy than normal, but if it was his, well, he has to try anyway, to see if he could get them to become puella magi, albeit a lot older than any contract he made thus far, but the potential cannot be ignored. _'Witch's barrier do not operated on the same rules as real world, even if we're travelling inside it, once we could exit, we're still back to the hospital, not an inch away from our former position outside.'_

"So, you can talk…" Ran make a statement, since she heard it speaks more than once on the way here already, although not lower down her guard, she slowly move toward the girl along with Patchouli before ask straight to the point. "… how can we find the exit then?"

'_Only killing the witch should we escape the barrier, ma'am..._' Was all that Kyubey replies, before he explain more. _'…but only puella magi, who can harness magical power to fight could destroy it, normal human will only fall prey to them, which bring me question…'_ He stared at Ran and Patchouli, ignoring Sayaka who just found the grief seed resting in some sort of caged room at the dead end they just reach. _'… Would any of you like to take up my contract and become puella magi? With magical potential I sensed in you two, the witch here will be no match for both of you at all! On top of that, you can get a single wish, for whatever you wanted, to come true in no time!'_

"Contract?" Ran's eyebrows perk up a bit, but before they could continue conversation, the businesswoman suddenly charge toward Sayaka, hands balled into fists and rear back, ready to strike, much to the blue haired schoolgirl shock at the sudden aggression, and before she can do anything, Ran is already centimeters away from her, fists shoot toward the girl who quickly close her eyes.

But the punch never land, instead, there's a loud, nasty crack next to her ear and shrieking voice of something moving farther away from behind her. Sayaka slowly open her eyes to take a look, and gasp at the sight of dozens familiars rally up around the one that turned upside down slowly dissolving into cloud of smoke, its whirlpool patterned head giving up screech of anger.

It dawn on her then, that the businesswoman just saved her from the attack, and now she's stepping forward, cracking her fists as if to say "Who's next?" while Sayaka feel like being pulled away by some shaking hand from behind.

"Let Ran handle this, we must hide…" the girl in dark green patient uniform whisper into her ear while mustering whatever strength she has left despite her illness trying to pull Sayaka back behind one of the ring-shaped giant donut that's lying around to use it as cover.

While she wanted to help the businesswoman, Ran was her name, who currently stands in fighting stance between them and the witch's minions, but she still know well that she didn't have the mass or body of an adult to fight unarmed against the beast of such size, and to contract with Kyubey and become magical girl right now is out of the question since she still can't decide what wish she wanted to fulfilled.

And Kyubey didn't help her select it or provide any advice at all, heck, he's just simply asks them to form a contract and nothing else. _'Hurry, any of you two, form a contract with me and become puella magi! At this rate the minions will kill that lady and us before Mami could come to the rescue!'_

When Sayaka look back at Patchouli, she found that she doesn't seem to worry much, instead, she calmly replies Kyubey. "I don't have nothing which in need of such convenient, Kyubey… oh, by the way, my name's Patchouli Knowledge, and that's Ran Yakumo, my friend and caretaker during my stay in this hospital." She pointed at Ran, who's currently swarmed by witch's familiars without much concern.

Sayaka nearly has a heart attack when the businesswoman start punching and kicking left and right, tossing the deranged little abominations flying everywhere with every attacks she made, despite unarmed and outnumbered, Ran still weaving around the swarm, jumping, sliding, untouched by their attacks and still hitting back, all without magic!

"Besides…" Patchouli speaks again, drawing Sayaka's attention back from the skirmish. "I think she still able to hold her own until your friend arrives, for now we better hide, put your head down please and let Ran take all the spotlights so we don't get attacked."

Kyubey tried to says something, but at that moment another telepathic message entered their mind. _'Kyubey! What's the situation inside?'_

'_Mami-san, I'm fine' _Sayaka quickly replies before Kyubey could, while peaking her head out of cover to see Ran sweep kick three familiars and punch another in its face sending it toward the wall._ 'But only because this one businesswoman named Ran who get caught alongside us that hogs all the attention from familiars, drawing them away from us! And we also have one sick girl here too!'_

'_What!?'_

'_Mami, this's not time to panic!'_ Kyubey quickly replies. _'The witch has yet to hatch, but it seems to react to the magical signature the two adults pouring out unconsciously, it's a miracle already that it didn't fully revive yet!'_

'_Understood, I and Madoka are on our way! Wait?! Another one's coming!'_ Mami seems surprised at the last sentence before the communication being cut out, leaving all of them in silence (if you do not count the sound of battle raging nearby.) once more.

At the prospect that help is on the way, Sayaka couldn't resisted to inform the businesswoman, who still get swarmed by endless waves of familiars as if to improve her fighting spirit by shouting before Patchouli could stop her. "Hang in there, madam! We've got back up incoming!"

"Get back here!" Patchouli grabs the schoolgirl's shoulder and drags her down, but it's too late, some familiars seem to recognized other intruders, and thus shifted their focus toward the girls behind donut, screaming before charging toward them in hope to kill the trespassers and use their souls to nourish their master.

Yet, they cannot fulfilled their dreams when the donut size of the small cow was throw in their path, squishing any familiars unfortunate enough to not dodge the giant projectile, which incidentally, all of them that tried to attack Sayaka and Patchouli!

The culprit who ruined their desires is none other than Ran, who resumes her fighting stance yet again after she dispatched the last familiar in the area, and another wave have yet to spawn, leaving some time for her to rest a little.

"Whao…" Sayaka looks at the carnage in front of her, cannot believe her eyes that a normal human could fight to this extent against supernatural enemies, admiring the woman in a bit tattered business suit in the process. However, Kyubey seems to know what Sayaka was thinking so he quickly ruined the mood by pointing out one fact that shouldn't be ignored.

'_She could do this because of her indomitable will resist the witch's kiss and the fact that witch herself has yet to fully revive, Sayaka.'_ He speaks. _'If she has to fight witch or familiars when they're in their prime, thing will turn out differently.'_

"Geez, is it necessary to ruin her accomplishment?" Sayaka snorts back, clearly saying it to calm herself down, but fate seems love to screw with them, because at that moment, the grief seed, stayed untouched for the whole fight, safely inside the cage, has finally reach its final stage of gathering power, and in a blinding flash of light, the landscape change once more.

* * *

"OK, this's… weird" Ran comments idly while looking at the witch that sat on the chair as high as her height in front of her, like a king, or queen sitting on his/her throne, too lazy not lift even her finger to pointed at the subjects standing nearby, inside her throne room that consisted of many tall tables, chairs and desserts of all kinds scattered around the gigantic chamber that replace the dimly lit landscape earlier with a brighter background.

Well, the witch cannot lift any finger because it lacks them, or for a better term, it lacks any appendage connecting to its body except its head! Which its black eyes stare lifelessly into the empty void, the witch herself is nothing more than a little doll whose head looks like pink candy and its body looks like… well… a doll with candy-pattern cape, and that's it!

"There, that's the witch!" "Sayaka! Kyubey! Are you all right?" a loud exclamation nearly make Ran lose focus and turn to face the newcomer, which is a dangerous move as she will turn her back on the demonic creature, according to Kyubey words, that is. Luckily that she could recognize the latter voice (and scents too, since she's a fox.) just in time to know that it's Madoka girl who show up along with some 'help' that she was sent to find in the first place.

Patchouli and Sayaka decided that it's a good time to move out of their cover since there're no more familiars around, they seems to stop spawning the moment the witch emerged from her grief seed. And thus, Sayaka talks to Madoka, who happened to appeared in the chamber near them first. "Yeah, we're okay, thanks to you, ma'am Ran." She then bows to the businesswoman to show her gratitude, which shared by Madoka and Mami too, considered that the woman was an adult.

Ran just nods in response, refused to take an eye off from the doll-like creature who still sat lifelessly on the chair ignoring of what transpired before its eyes. Then the blonde twin tailed girl with yellow beret walk toward her, hand on her shoulder before speaks, respect in her voice. "Ma'am, I guess Kyubey had explains the situation to you…"

"He has…" was all Ran said, prompt Mami to continue with a… happy tone in her voice? "Please, let me take it from here, you've done enough…"

Wasting no time, the puella uses her rifle as a club swinging on the witch on her throne in full force, send it flying, which Ran has to dodge the swing due to the girl somehow let the emotion… of joy? get better of her and forget that she still standing right there in the path of that swing! Nearly getting bashed in the head and desires not to get hit by accident, she then retreat back to cover, behind the same donut that Sayaka,Madoka and Patchouli used.

And that was the first sign that make Ran and Patchouli thinks that this battle will went wrong, one way or another when the witch decided to fight back, thus they readies themselves instinctively despite know not how to intervene yet… and Kyubey that sat on their cover, looking at the battle, uncared, is not helping at all.

A few moments passed. Mami seems to decide that she has enough of bashing the doll around the chamber, thus she shot it point-blank with another rifle, which penetrate it to the ground sprouting yellow ribbons wrapping around the pink doll which surprisingly has no wound despite getting shot at point blank range, holding it high up in the air. Then she create a giant hand-cannon, aiming directly at the immobile witch, winking her golden eyes at the spectators behind the giant donut around half hundred meters away, she then yelled "Trio-Finale!" and pulled the oversized trigger.

A bright, but seemingly small yellow beam shot out of the gun barrel the moment giant flintlock collided, hitting the doll squarely in the chest, causing the blue haired schoolgirl to jump up and cheer at her friend loudly. "You did it! You did it!"

However the battle was far from over, during a moment of triumph, which the puella magi has dropped her guard and prepare to turn back, the doll, which still hold up high by the ribbon, opened its mouth, release a single black worm with a white clown for a face out, which seems to quickly grows in its size until it's as large as a train in mere seconds and shooting out toward the puella mai!

And its face was mere inches from Mami Tomoe in seconds, who's too shock at the sudden change of event to response, her leg froze up, her hand hang limply to the side, never thought of lifting them up and summon weapon to repel the sudden assault, golden eyes stare aimlessly into the void inside its slowly opened, large gaping shark-like jaw, awaiting her ends.

In milliseconds during the moment of life and death, the mind of Patchouli Knowledge, whose perspective saw the worm slowly emerge from the lifeless shell of a doll before her eyes, was thinking at the speed incomprehensible for mere human, she calculate the distance, the mass of the target, the time she had, and came to the conclusion that if she, or Ran, were to save the girl, magic is inevitable, and with Kyubey sitting there, uncaring of what's going to happen to his contractor, it's oblivious that their secret of magic will no longer secret anymore once she make her move.

Weighting pros and cons which involve life and death of people never sit right with anyone conscience, even one is youkai witch like her, sure, she hate puella magi a bit for never have to work hard for decades to get their power as she or her magician friends did, but she can hardly blame them, especially after hearing story from Oriko about how she became one and assuming that incubator used the same strategy every time, target emotionally unstable contract, unless they've high potential like Alice and Marisa for instance, for easier time to make them contract that is.

In short, they're victims, in a sense, nothing more, nothing less. Even she's youkai who supposed to be evil or troublemaker by the folklore, but she has her own standard, and deceiving contract that end with fate worse than death is NOT one of them.

Also, Patchouli decided that they can deal with the fallout later… provided that she move carefully that is. The benefit of being in good grace… or holding a life debt with the… young, will outweigh the secret leaks later on.

Thus, she move up onto the donut she used to hide along with other non-combatants, standing tall and proud on top of the makeshift platform in mere second, both of her palms shot forward, pointed at the giant worm that started to open its gigantic jaw threaten to consume the blonde whole, before she start chanting in a forgotten ancient language of the world, with each word spilled forth from her mouth come the strange runic circle expanding from both her hands glowing eerily blue, adding lines and symbols until the circle itself is as tall as the chanter!

Normally, spellcraft which she, and her friends used do not required such chanting thanks to spell cards or their own hard studies and practices that made them no longer needed such a thing, however, Patchouli is not in her prime condition at the moment, but even if she has, she would prefer to use this method anyway to conceal their own true potential, besides, her chant is not exactly 'slow' to say the least.

The giant worm pays no heed toward the surrounding, when in front of it is the one who brings harm to it, other magical signatures were tasty too, but considered that they're hiding around and not bringing harm, they're no threat to it, even if one of them start saying something that the beast do not understand it still nothing compared to what this yellow head has done. After this yellow head gone, it can deal with them later.

And that proved to be a grave mistake…

Finally, chanting comes to the last verse, the magician finishes her chant with a loud cry resonates in the vast chamber. **"… Lend me thy power and smites this foe to their watery grave, Noachian Deluge!"**

The magic circle glow brightly threatening to blind those who stand near Patchouli, then it start shooting rows upon rows of water balls at hyper-sonic speed toward the giant beast, which has no way to hide or protect itself from the onslaught ready to occurs.

Projectiles struck true on the beast's gigantic body, despite the projectiles are just condensed water, despite each has a mass the size of football initially and its component vaporized due to sheer speed and friction from air heating the water up, the speed of the impacts and number of water balls still more than enough to send the worm crash-landed on the side, missing Mami completely by a few meters.

The beast shriek in pain, righting itself up to see who dare to interrupts its meal time, only to get pummeled by water balls in its face from another Noachian Deluge which finished its chants in few seconds after the first, although leaving no visible harm on the beast aside from the soaking wet skin, the impacts still hurt the beast's inside a bit as its movement slowed down considerably.

One droplet of water splatted on Mami's cheek, waking her up from stupor in time to hear the loud snarls of the witch she supposed to defeat directed toward someone else. She turn to see what the witch's looking and saw the purple-haired girl in patient uniform, whom she's supposed to protect, standing in front of terrified Sayaka and Madoka, runic circle up front shooting another stream of water balls toward the enraged witch, forcing it to stopped its charge and reel back again.

The giant worm witch prepare its attack, which consist of repeating the same strategy as the last three times, a full body charge with opened jaw trying to swallow anything in its path, despite already failed and get repelled three times straight, the witch do not change its approach one bit. This can be explained simply, even if it's a former human, the 'despair' and 'grief' has corrupt her mind beyond recognition, leaving only instinct no better than those of the animal's, thus the only thing that made battling witch difficult is not because its intelligence, but because its supernatural body that's resilient to damage and home field advantage, nothing more.

And since its instinct already registered Patchouli as a greater threat, it forget Mami completely, which would prove to be its own downfall had not because the blonde puella just staying still looking at Patchouli throwing Noachian Deluge one after another whenever the witch tried to charge her position in awe, wasting the opportunity completely.

Which another newcomer decided to take advantage of…

Three rocket propelled grenades appeared from behind the magician, souring through the air passing over the water balls barrage before slowly dropping attitude due to gravity, two of which landing squarely on the mid-section of the witch and detonate, sending a shockwave throughout the long-gargantuan cylinder form of the worm who let out a loud anguish cry when part of its body has been eviscerated by the explosion. Its large gaping maw open up and swallow the third rocket inside which seems to do nothing for a while…

Then the witch exploded from inside out, its gargantuan body tears apart, dropping one, small, purple doll from its remains on one of the tall table in the chamber, which the newcomer, a dark-haired girl in purple and white schoolgirl outfit jump past Patchouli and drop her high heel boot on top of it, squishing the doll in the process.

A small 'puff' sound ring through the air at the same time the doll explode, spilling out a thumb-size black orbs with pointy ends on both side which landed on one of the table next to Homura, who use her free hand to flip her hair out of her face. Her violet eyes gazed upon the battlefield, participants and bystanders while the distorted world slowly crumbling around them.

Mami slump to her knee, feeling exhausted and hapless as a little girl, unlike the image of fearless warrior she always put in front of her newfound friends up until now.

* * *

The barrier is fading, sunset begin to show itself to all who caught in the abomination's distorted world, telling them that now they're no longer in that nightmare anymore. Seeing that, Patchouli let out a sigh of relieve, exhausted, as she has yet to fully recover while she unleash her magic upon the monstrosity, she slowly slump down to the ground. Luckily that Ran caught sight and rushed up to her side and picks her back up on her feet again.

However, Patchouli denies that comfort, instead, she push Ran away, righting herself on her own two feet, before slowly approaching the downed puella magi, who shocked in the turn of event that nearly cost her life, ignore the curious look from Kyubey, or Homura and any girls who hide behind her, until she's two steps away from Mami.

Mami stare into that cold, calculating violet eyes unlike those of the rogue magical girl named Akemi Homura who stood a little further away, it's speaks of experiences, it speaks of wisdoms that no normal schoolgirl could possess (and Mami suspected that this patient may not be schoolgirl at all), but above all of those, her eyes also carried with its disapproval… disapproval of her actions…

"True experienced soldier will never lose him or herself to their own emotion…" Patchouli speaks in an even tone, as if teacher lecturing her student who just did something she's not supposed to do. "… You're risking not only your life, but theirs as well…" she pointed at Sayaka and Madoka, who looks unsure what to do, well, Sayaka clearly looks as if she wanted to defend her senior, but Patchouli's reason also true and undeniable, make defending it accomplish nothing but make herself looks like a spoiled brat who think she can do no wrong.

Such is the same thought as Mami, who's currently sniffing, tear flowing freely at the fear of death nearly claimed her, before replies to the mysterious patient girl who just used her magic to saved them. "I… I'm sorry…"

"You should apologize to them, not me… or Ran…" Patchouli gazes toward Madoka, Sayaka and lastly Homura, who casually pick up the grief seed and slowly approach Mami, before handed it to her without saying a word.

"Wh… Why?" That was all she could say while picking the black orb from another puella who she saw as a hostile, a rogue magical girl who tried to prevent the birth of another magical girls up until now, why suddenly she show this kindness?

Homura stay silent for a moment, before she answers with a stoic expression on her face, but the relief in her voice completely betrays that façade. "… At least, you've learned a valuable lesson, what it truly meant to become puella magi, what you put at the stake…" She pause when wind suddenly blowing, throwing her waist length hair around her face, obscuring her face from view.

Homura raise her hand to flip her hair back, eyes gaze at enraged Sayaka and concerned Madoka before continues. "… Do not forget, you've been granted a second chance, albeit by sheer luck, do not waste it." With that parting word, she slowly transforms back and walks toward the pair of patient and caretaker, who contented to just watch and smile at her as if they approved of her action, much to Sayaka's irritation but chose not to say a word since they're in the right.

Silence reign over for a few moment, until Ran decided that they shouldn't stay there any longer and speaks to them. "If the situation is resolved, I shall take my leave, after all, I have patient to take care of…" she motioned toward Patchouli, who nods in response,

"Wait…" Madoka shout, halting the pair who stops to listen to what she wanted to say. "What were you wished for, miss…"

Patchouli slowly turned toward the pink haired girl, who currently kneels down near Mami who still in tear from harsh words of disapproval they threw at, not move an inch from her spot, and answer with a slight edge in her voice. "My name is Patchouli Knowledge, and for the last time, no, I did not contract with Kyubey…" she glare at the creature for a few seconds then continues when she knows that there's no way out of it anymore sine they already saw her using magic. "What you saw was the result of decades upon decades of studies, practices, shedding sweat and blood to acquired, not an easy contract like you assumed…"

'_I see… this's surely interesting… although a kind of waste that you didn't contract with me… your power would surely increase enough to defeat witch on your own_' Kyubey speaks telepathically, implied to everyone presents that this brand of magic is inferior to his without including the facts that Patchouli is still sick... which's typical for him if you know his true nature, while he moves next to and look up at Ran. _'But I'm sure that miss businesswoman here could surely have a wish she wanted to fulfill? You don't like to stand out as non-magic capable among your friend who can use…'_

"Never…" Ran cut him short, her yellow eyes seem to glow, emitting dislike toward the creature with the reason unknown to other two schoolgirls, before she motioned Patchouli that they've stayed out of hospital bed for too long and should go back before nurses start looking for them, thus they politely say goodbye to the group and proceed to into the building once more, while the girls noticed that the sun is nearly set and they should get to their own home fast and scramble out of the area with Kyubey in tow.

…Except just one who follow the pair into the hospital in silence… the girl named Akemi Homura…

* * *

**Author Note:**

OK, who saw this moment coming (Patchouli to the rescue.) please raise your hand. I thought that there are enough hints in the previous episodes already, not counting the super-spoiler picture I used for the fiction itself.

Yes, in short, I planned to write this from the start! Although actual writing take longer than I expected.

[1] She referred to Gensokyou resident ZA WARUDO maid, who else?

palver7: It's quick because that chapter is just a tweak from the original anime, contrast to the prior chapters which I've to start totally from scratch.

To be continue, the next chapter... see what Kyubey will do now that he know about another brands of magic which didn't involved him and a monster... Yes, I thought of many scenarios that can applies with a sound reasons as to why would he take that approach, but I also love to see some readers's... your... input too, imagine you're in Kyubey's position that is.

But no matter what he did, Kyoko will appear in Mitakahara on schedule, albeit by a completely different reason than in the anime (You should see this coming too, subtle hints already in so many chapters prior out there.)


	10. Chapter 9: I Wanna Make a Decision!

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 9: I Wanna Make a Decision!**

"So…" Patchouli state from her bed in patient room, eyes gaze upon another purple orbs of her guest lashed with questions which she hope that someone will fill her in.

"So… who are you two?" the guest, dark-haired schoolgirl who currently sit on the chair provided by hospital complete the sentence, while never take her eyes off the patient, not even mind another presence in the same room, who's clearly an adult that content to just sipping tea on the table while watching TV and talking on the phone at the same time! Seems not too concern about their intruder much... if you only see things at the surface that is…

Patchouli open her mouth as if to answer, but suddenly shut it and look at Ran, who coincidentally just finish talking toward whoever she phoned to and looks back at the patient, quirk her eyebrow as if to ask what happened, before her yellow eyes widen a little with understanding, she then move silently toward Homura and ask one question. "Did Kyubey still around here? Can you detect him? Since we couldn't until he showed himself."

Homura suppress the urge to facepalm herself for her own stupidity and carelessness, she move toward the windows and closed it before slowly checking everywhere in the room for a sign of bugs, or that white creature with Ran as her assistance, and after five minutes, she seems satisfied and tell them. "No, he's not here, and from my own experience I'm sure that he cannot phase through wall either, only thing to worry about is eavesdropping, but I'm sure I can hear his footstep beforehand."

"That's good to hear." Ran then closed the curtains, just to be sure. "It won't do us any good if he heard about our conversation, but I'm curious…" Ran's words make Homura quirks her eyebrows. "…how did you know that Madoka Kaname will become the witch that destroys the world? I doubt that you'll make the same wish as Oriko did, from my calculation, the probabilities of such things are too low to be acceptable reason."

Homura's eyes widen at the revelation, she stutter. "H… how did you…"

Before she could ask more, the light bulb on the ceiling, which is the only light source in this room after Ran closed the curtains started to flicker, before it shoot three bolts of bright light onto the ground forcing Homura to shut her eyes while they formed into three human body, once the light finally died down, Homura opened her eyes once more only to see three figures standing next to her.

They're those magicians she encountered the other day when they fought the rose witch and she stalked them back to Oriko's house…

"Ah… good to see you again, Miss Homura…" Alice is the first one to speaks, her blue eyes looks stern and calculating as always. "Ran already told us the situation, and that made us remembered that we forgot to tell you about Patchouli and Ran, no?"

Homura glance around toward the familiar faces, Marisa in her black white dress, now completed with a witch hat and a broom as if she come out of fairy tales waving her hand, Oriko in her puella magi attire scratching her head in apology to… Patchouli?! Wait, but that's not important as that deeply dark blue soul gem adorning her collar, the corruption is clearly halfway through yet the owner seems not to mind them much, and why did she's sweating all over?

Seeing their guest has went silent, Marisa took the liberty to get a closer look on the violet gem adorning the puella's finger while comments. "Hmm, really pretty, eh… Your 'soul' that is…"

Homura nearly jump out of her chair at the sudden invasion of personal space, but still manage to keep her cool in check and replies coldly while drawing her hand back. "It's a bit rude to stare people like that… Miss Marisa…"

The black-white witch laughing sheepishly at her response before backing out, hands rose up in apology. "Sorry… sorry… even with another puella magi with us, I'm still curious about your kind, heh heh…"

Alice just shakes her head at Marisa's words before proceed to introduce another companions to the dark haired girl. "Ah, forgive us for not telling you about another one on our team…" she wave her hand at the patient, cause Homura's eyes to follow. "This's Patchouli Knowledge, the co-inventor of the power flow transport we just used to get here…"

Homura's eyes twitching at those words, looking back and forth between Alice and Patchouli as if to judge whether or not they're lying, only to sees that they're serious, but she still asks with disbelieves, unable to accept such absurdity. "That's a cruel joke, how can teenage girl, even with understanding in magic, could possibly invent something of this scale, I know you're the one who do it, but it's absurd that this girl help you developed it."

Temperature in the room suddenly dropped at those words, Homura feel the chill down her spine when the purple eyes of patient meets her, sending a not-so-friendly glance at her for a moment, then tore away without saying anything to look at one of the book her friends somehow brought out of nowhere, flipping pages searching contents, ignore her completely as if she, who was quick to offend someone who just saved her friend, wasn't worth her attention nor scolding.

However, just that little moment they locked eyes, Homura already realized the wisdom, knowledge, and experience radiated from her violet orbs, the experience that's, even with her countless timeline experience, couldn't hope to matched, it surpassed even Marisa's and Alice's, surpassed anyone she came to known, this timeline or the other.

Knowing that the other young looking girl was in fact an adult (a century old one, but she doesn't know that yet.) her face redden due to embarrassment, looking down on her own feet, before uttering a word not louder than a whisper. "I'm sorry."

Upon hearing the apology, Patchouli turns her face up, drop her book down on her bed and … scolding Homura, just like elder teaching their offspring. "No matter what you went through, using such attitude toward other strangers will accomplish nothing but making more and more enemies, shunning help and advises which might be useful from you, once you've enemies everywhere, I ask thus, how can you accomplished you goal when the entire world are against you, who is alone thanks to your own action?"

Those sentences sting Homura so hard that she hold one hand over her chest as if words hurt her so much. Indeed, she never thought it from Patchouli's perspective… or rather, how other people viewed it at all, that isolating oneself, putting distance between her and her potential friends and allies also means that she has the entire world against her and her goal, not just a single witch or Incubators races. She suddenly asks herself if the path she took is really the correct one.

Whatever she's thinking at the moment was short-lived when Marisa decided to ruin her thought by slapping her shoulder and yelled into her ears with that cheerful voice. "Hey, cut the emo out missy! You wished that Madoka don't need to contract so she won't turn into super monster that will destroy the universe right? We're also here to help you, if you have problem, share it with us!"

"We know that what you told us days ago is but a fraction of what you really know." Alice voice her thought, blue eyes seems to pierce the body and stare right at her soul before she explain further. "… Don't lie to us, we have more than enough experience dealing with liars before…" At the last sentence she glance at Marisa for a moment, which make the black-white throws her hat at the puppeteer in response, to no effect since Shanghai just snatched it before it ever hit her master, made Marisa let out a snorts and turn her head away.

"We have trusted you with our information…" Patchouli takes her turn and spoke to Homura. "Please, if this relationship is to work, could you share the rest that you know to us? The more we know, the better chance we can complete this quest."

Homura quickly avoids staring into other occupants' eyes as if they will hypnotize her and force her to spill out every secret she had, her paranoid was not unfound however, other girls are basically practitioner of magic never before seen by even Kyubey, how can she rest assured that they won't be able to do as such? But when thinks it through, she realized that if they really have that power and wished to do so, they could've done it when she follow them back to Mikuni's manor already.

Thus, Homura opened her mouth, looking at Ran, who turned back to watching TV as if this's not matter to her, then to Marisa, Alice, Oriko and Patchouli, who look straight at her, expecting answer, then she sighed and decided to at least trust them with her own secret, at long last.

"My wish, allow me to go back in time…" a collective gasp was heard throughout the entire room, but Homura pay no heed to them now. "… It was a wish to save one of my dearest friend, but by the time I made that wish, she's already gone…" tear welled up in her eyes, yet she ignore it and continue. "… thus the only way my wish could be fulfilled is to give me the ability to turn back time itself…"

"I see…" Patchouli murmurs, hand writing something into notebook while speaking with a clear concern in her voice. "Please continue."

"I found out the secret of contracts, what it entailed during the first time" She slowly explains, hands on her lap balled into fists "That time, I failed, thus the next reverse I warned other, but they didn't listen until it's too late, and I was force to…"

She silent for a moment, cannot gather the courage to speaks about it, thus she skipped that part. "… Madoka, from that timeline asked me… with her last breathe… to stop her from contract again."

Sniffing yet again, she continues. "I did everything I could… to stop Madoka from contracting with Kyubey and save everyone…" now, the emotions that she suppressed for god-know-how-long finally break free of her restraint, tear free flowing from her cheek, just like Mami earlier after they saved her from the dessert witch, thanks to someone who seems willing to listen to her. "… But no matter how many times, I always failed, she sacrifices herself to stop the great witch Walpurgisnacht, unwittingly doomed the entire world every time… and thus I had to rewind time again and again… countless failures… I… I…"

She cannot speaks more, emotion finally reached its peak, and she plant her face into her palms, sobbing uncontrollably in front of the three magicians, one fox and one puella magi, all whom look at the crying wreak of a girl with both admiration and sympathy.

"There, there…" Marisa, who seems to get up from her seat and moved near Homura unnoticed by other, slowly wrap her arms around the girl… whose emotion barrier finally broken down, and embrace her, hand rubbing the black hair behind her head, comforting her. "…It's fine, we're here to help you fix things up, remember? No need to do it alone anymore…"

"Your determination is admirable…" Oriko commend, neon-green eyes looks at Homura with sympathy which the dark haired puella never thought that she's capable of after dealing with her so many well-intentioned extremist incarnations every timeline thus far. "…I don't know what 'me' in other timelines did to you, but this time, I'll help put an end to this… alongside you…""

Slowly letting her go, Marisa rummage through her pocket before fished out a handkerchief and handed it to Homura, who take the liberty of it to blow her nose, and then, while still sniffing, she says. "I don't know how I can repay you, but, thank you again…"

Marisa laugh at her word, slapping Homura's shoulder so hard that the handkerchief fall off and she thought that her shoulder will dislocate before replies. "Hey, that's what's friend for! Even you don't see us as your friend that is… and by the way…" she then turns serious. "…Speaking of which, if you really wanted to thanks us, wait until the job is done first… now we must focus…"

"Indeed…" Ran, who stayed silent for so long spoke at last. "But I think that you all better return home first… it's getting dark now…" she takes a peeks at the curtain while still speaking. "You three as well…" The last sentence directed at Marisa, Alice and Oriko, who does a double take at that statement, especially Marisa who seems not that amused to leave too early, thus she protested.

"What? We've come all the way here to chat with our friends, and we've got a new ally too!" She pointed at Homura, who blinks, confused at the exchange. "…We've to devise a new strategy dealing with this mess too… and the faster the better isn't it? You shouldn't have to be this strict when we said that we must lay low for a while to avoid Kyubey you know?"

Ran crossed her arms and sigh. "It's not about Kyubey discovered us, but about you all didn't registered at the reception as guests, so if the nurses or doctor found you all here… well you get the idea don't you?"

Marisa sighs and mutters. "Too bad I can't use magic here, what a pain…" then she turned toward Homura while the latter is looking at Alice who starts drawing a glowing symbol in mid-air, calling her. "Hey, you've once used our flow transport once right?"

Homura nodded without taking her eyes off the runic symbol which Alice just finished drawing, the puppeteer then speaks to her. "Copy this symbol, Miss Homura… whenever you wanted use one, draw it with anything, pencil, ink, blood, your pick…"

At that words Marisa giggle since Homura made a disbelieving face before explaining. "The symbol is merely a guideline… to help you imagine the pattern of the magical energy flow, having a solid image will help a lot… well, that's' what they'll tell you anyway." She then shrugged, acts as if she's not responsible for the consequence making Homura sweating despite they're in temperature-controlled space.

"Your instructions give yourself no credit you know?" Patchouli called the black white from her bed, which Marisa simply makes an excuse with her next words.

"Hey, you know that I don't get used to your sophisticated explanations in whatever magical theories you brought up, Patchy, I merely suggest the route that worked best and not giving our friend a headache."

Patchouli sigh, shaking her head and decided it would be best not to quarrel further as the time they have is limited, thus she turned toward Homura who, despite not understand much still slowly copying the runic circle hovering next to her into the paper, and explains to her. "Once you drew the symbol, focus your energy into it, in your head imagine the place you wished to go, it's essential that the destination has those 'power line' as you called, within ten meters radius…"

At that point Marisa interrupts her speech. "Because we're basically hitching a ride with the current, electric current if I'm correct about how it's called, so your destination must have one or you can't go." Then she just swept her hand on Alice's drawn circle in the air, causing it to vanish before speaking to Homura. "Well, try that yourself, draw it and channel your power in, imagine where you wanted to go."

At first Homura hesitant, seems unwilling to try out while glancing at other habitats of the room, Alice, who sit down on the side of Patchouli's bed looking at her as if expected her to try it out, pretty much like Marisa who's standing next to her, Patchouli who turn her attention back to her book, Ran who has shot her a motherly smile as if to assure her that it'll work, and lastly Oriko, who merely nods and sit down on a chair, eyeing her while conjure her weapon of choice, marbles, lots of it which slowly hovering in front of the older puella, arranging themselves into circle, then adding lines forming runic symbols within, as if she was giving her a hints, which… well, she catch on immediately.

Seeing no other way around, and to satisfy her little own curiosity, Homura summons her shield, violet ring transform into the diamond shaped gem sticking to the back of her left hand, which seems to glow purple for a second, then suddenly it stopped, and the girl hesitantly lower her hand as if she just remembered something she's forget.

Marisa is the first to voice out her thought. "Er… what's the problem?"

Homura shot Marisa a looks as if she was asking something stupid, then her eyes twitch a little in annoyance that she didn't tell them what her 'offensive magic' is, before replies. "Beam cannot curve."

Blinking a few time, Marisa then giggle a bit, causing Homura to frown before she finally answer, an answer that seems annoying than useful. "Use your magic to bend the light, you're magical girl, don't forget that."

Annoying as it might, the tips still proves useful, and Homura quickly rise her hand and shooting continuous purple ray from the gem again, which now slowly curving and forming the runic magic circle Alice taught her (intentionally or not.) earlier into the exact replica two minutes later.

Seeing the completion of the symbol, the puppeteer instructs the next step. "Now, focus small amount of your magic into the circle, imagine it jumping into the electric current on the lamp above us, while you're at it, destine where you wished to go in your mind."

Homura slowly adding power to the 'circuit' doing everything as instructed mentally, then her vision went white while feeling something pulling her.

And thus Homura's form vanished from the patient's room in the flash of light. Alice and Marisa exchange look at each other, before Oriko breaks the silence. "Did she make it?"

"She succeeds…" Patchouli replies, and then elaborates further without looking away from her new book. "I sense her magic power remembers? I don't need to look to know it…"

"I see…" Oriko nods in apology, which prompt the sick magician to speak. "You've done nothing to deserve apology, Oriko, your concern over her safety barely called that."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing…" Marisa adds, only to get a confused look from everyone, except Ran, who just ignored everything but TV show. "What?"

"You, Marisa…" Alice begins to speak, and then sigh. "…make no sense again…"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

No one, even her apprentice (well_, their_ apprentice, by the way.) is willing to answer that question. Until Ran shot them a glare that says "You've overstayed your welcome, please get back." That they can finally scramble and use magic to transport themselves out of the room back to their home base, just in time before the nurse deliver patient's food to the room.

Ran and Patchouli glance at each other, before let out a collective sigh, knowing that their problem is just getting even more complicated by the minutes, and laying back here wouldn't help either… But it's still the only thing she could do until the next week, maybe…

* * *

The next day…

Sun rise above head as same as all lunch time that came before, especially during summer day, bright light shine upon three heads on the expansive roof of Mitakahara middle school, reflecting off the white tiles on the rooftop's floor made it look as if it was glowing, albeit not to the extent that would be noticeable by anyone on the rooftop, or anyone in particular, the heat it radiated still more than enough to drive away any students or teachers from coming there during lunch anyway.

Thus it's the perfect spot for discussing something secret, something that's too insane to believe or will damage the person's reputations badly if it was eavesdropped and spread through the school.

So, it's no surprised that the three schoolgirls, who has been trusted into the secret war of magic and monster that have humanity's survival at stake, choose as a meeting place to discuss such subject. Sitting on the white bench placing on the rooftop, they're eating lunch while chatting with their friends. However, strangely, the white, cat like creature who's always sticking with the only pink haired girl of the group is nowhere to be found, as if he lost interest in the girl and go elsewhere, just like his species, well, the closet species to him that is.

"So, Madoka…" The blue haired girl, Sayaka, is the first one to ask while other are still mouth full eating their own lunch, not that the girl didn't have her mouth full too by the way. "… what do you think? Did you know what you wished for yet?"

"Eh…?" Madoka, who just finished her lunch and in the process of packing things up look at Sayaka hesitantly, before reply, "I… I don't have any clues at all, at first, I just wanted to be useful… to be… able to help people, but now… after meeting with those people, I don't know what to think…"

Sayaka pressed further, this time, she looks at Mami as if to ask for her approval. "You know, if we three were to become puella magi and works together, no witch could stand a chance against our combine might, don't you agree?"

The reason for this behavior was simple, Sayaka was enthralled at the prospect of becoming 'Hero of justice' and that, how much the situation could've turn around by another's assistance, she thought that, if such a weak support (Patchouli) can turn the tide of battle and stall the witch long enough for, although she has a hard time trying to admitted it, that mysterious and unfriendly magical girl who just transferred to their school to come in and help, then if she, or Madoka are to help Mami fighting on the frontline, they would be invincible.

"I share your thought, Madoka-san…" the blonde, senior of the other two girls said while putting down her cup of tea, looking straight into other's eyes along with sad smile, showing remorse of dragging them into such dangerous endeavor twice now. "… I nearly get myself killed, I won't deny that, and I won't tell otherwise either, that this's a dangerous thing that you're going to do."

"That's why you need me, need Madoka, to help you time of need!" Sayaka exclaimed, looking disbelievingly at their senior, who seems to suddenly have a change of heart and feel adamant in not letting them make the contract with the white creature to follow her path.

Sayaka's feeling didn't go unnoticed by Mami however, she shot a hard look at blue haired girl, before speaking, smile vanished from her face to let the other girl know serious she really is. "You should try finding something worth wishing for first, if you really insisted on fighting alongside me, then you can visit Kyubey whenever you want."

"Speaking of wish worth fighting for…" Sayaka look up to the white blue sky, in trace as if she was thinking about something, before continues. "… I wonder what made those two… I mean,… what's their name again?"

"Marisa and Alice?" Madoka offer her help, pouting at Sayaka before lecture the tomboyish girl. "You should try to remember them too, it's not nice to forget about person you just met not a few days ago, let alone one that helped us."

"You sound really like my mom, Madoka, perhaps you have this sort of experience before?" Sayaka shot back while grinning, make the pink haired girl's face redden in embarrassment at the underlying implication, further reinforced by the mocking interrogation conducted immediately by her friend, which included 'physical contact' in the process. "So, who's the lucky guy? Or was it a girl? C'mon, friends don't keep secret from each other!"

"H… hey! Stop it Sayaka, Hey! Don't touch me there, wait, wait!"

Madoka tried in vain to move away from her friend, but Sayaka quickly grabbed her before she could do so, while Mami is giggling at the sight of her newfound friends playing like a child before looking at the cloud moving to block the sun overhead and sigh when she found out that couldn't get the yesterday's event out of her head at all, not only that, but the encounter with another puella from another city, Oriko, as well.

Her mind started to question herself about the mysterious companions of Oriko, something is not right about them yet she couldn't put her finger on it… maybe it was their improbable look belies the fact that they're much older and probably the one in charge instead of puella? Maybe it was that they refused the chance to become magical girls outright from the get go?

Using the chance that her juniors are busy with each other, Mami slowly recollecting her thought, her memories, and finally founded that it was the latter, they have magical potential so great it attract witches, yet still decided not to contract with Kyubey after learning about the existence of puella magi. It was this that troubled her greatly.

If it was her whose life will be in constant danger of supernatural monsters trying to eat her, and only way out of it is to fight back with supernatural power, well, at least, with something that's not what normal human are capable of, she would've taken the contract already even if another puella magi who just saved them will say no or not, what to wished for is not a concern, since at that point, you're at great risk as long as you lived, if you're dead, then everything is done for.

'If only Kyubey still around, I could've asked him already what did he thought about their refusal.' The blond muses in her mind, watching the cloud that partially blocked the sun overhead, and then she feels someone looking at her, so she turn her head back, and saw both Madoka and Sayaka, who seem to look at her with concern.

"What's the matter? Mami-san, you look spaced out." Madoka asks.

Mami blinks a few time, then she smile at the pink-haired girl assuring that everything is alright. "Nothing to worry about, Madoka-san, I just thinking about how should I thank Patchouli for helping me back there."

Sayaka slammed her fist on her hand with recognition, memories of yesterday surfaced in her mind. "Oh, yes, that ill girl, and I never got a chance to thank that businesswoman, Ran I think, for saving our ass back there either!"

"Why don't we visit the hospital after school?" Madoka interject her thought. "You're going to visit Kyousuke anyway right? I wonder where they are in that hospital?"

"That's a good idea!" Sayaka exclaimed and pull Madoka into a headlock before release her when she looks uncomfortable the second she did so. "Oh, sorry… well, they stay next to Kyousuke's room there, I met them when I'm about to leave the patient dorm."

"Well, Sayaka-san wanted to see Ran? Or do you wanted to ask Patchouli about her magic?" Mami asks while looking at Madoka who just freed herself out of her friend's grasp and

Sayaka shrugged before answers "Probably both…" then she sees that her classmate looking at her with curiosity she adds. "Hey! Don't you interest too? She said she didn't contract with Kyubey but still able to use magic, since I still can't decide what to wish for, I might just take the alternative first."

Mami hesitantly asks. "But… didn't Kyubey say that her magic is weaker than puella magi, and that it cannot hurt witch that much at all?"

"It's still better than try fighting witch with your bare-hand." Sayaka replies, shuddered at the thought of what would happen to Ran if Mami wasn't there in time, will that little doll sprout giant worm and eat her first? Or familiars will swarm her in greater number and overwhelmed her? She didn't want to think about it.

However, that thought about asking Patchouli to teach her magic soon shattered by Mami's word. "I don't think that it's a good idea to do, Sayaka-chan."

"Huh?"

The blonde stood up, walking toward the fence preventing someone from falling down the building, looking at the distance where she thought that the hospital is located before speaking without looking at her friends. "I doubt that we'll be able to utilize her magic style in such a short time… not mentioned, how hard does it take to become one?"

Before Sayaka could form her argument another voice spoke up in their mind first.

'_I agree with Mami-san in this subject.'_

"Kyubey!" Madoka exclaimed, seeing the white creature walking out of the door leading toward inside of building under the now cloudy sky. "Where have you been this whole morning? We're worried about you this whole time that you'll run into Homura again."

'_That girl already gave up trying to harm me… I think'_ Kyubey replies with that never ending smile of his, while slowly approach the group that eyed him questioningly, prompt him to elaborate. _'Quite frankly, I met her on the way here earlier, and she just simply walks past me, pretending I never existed I think.'_

"That attitude…" Sayaka snorts, eyes narrowed angrily at the mentioned of the 'rogue puella magi'. "And here I thought that she's not that bad, after saving Mami-san from death, who knows she'll revert back to that jackass manner again, it's not even full day apart! Guess I'm wrong."

'_Or she just busy with something lately.'_ Kyubey offers his thought. _'Maybe she just turned her attention toward those girls in hospital who has magical potential, trying to prevent them from entering contract by hanging around them and provide security against witches, just like Oriko toward Marisa and Alice .'_ He turns toward Madoka and Sayaka, indicating who he's talking about.

"Ah, yes, we're discussing about Patchouli… just before you arrive." Mami piped up at the mentioned of those girls, before asking the white creature curiously. "Did you think she and that businesswoman, Ran, will change their mind and contract? You went to them this morning did you?"

Kyubey turned to stare at Mami for a second, before shaking his head and replies._ 'No, I didn't do that.'_

"Huh?" Everyone surprised at his word. He then elaborates. _'I went to Kasamino town this morning, trying to find Marisa and Alice, along with Oriko, well, I don't think I could persuade the pair to contract now, I'm really after Oriko, but because I think that we need every extra firepower we can get in this region by the end of this month.'_

Such answer only confused the girls even more question, and Mami is the one who asks, golden eyes shown seriousness. "What do you mean?"

'_It seems that Walpurgis Night is approaching this city, from the info I gathered from other of our comrades across the sea.'_ Kyubey replies casually, which make Mami's holding her hands cover her mouth, eyes widen at the realization, while Madoka and Sayaka looking between the puella and the contractor in confuse, before Sayaka speaks up first. "What are you two talking about? Walpurgis Night? What is that?"

It's their senior who explained it, albeit shakily due to uncertainty that she could prevail against such being, seems to be the side effect of near-death experience yesterday. "Walpurgis Night, or Walpurgisnacht is the most powerful witch ever existed, some says that it's formed by multiple witches combined together, or witch that lived long enough without getting killed by puella magi to the point they develop tremendous power."

'_Just like Mami said…'_ Kyubey confirm her explanation. _'…it's not something that a puella magi could hope to fight alone. That's why I suggest we try to get more people here, but it'll be a monumental task.'_

"I see…" Mami nods in agreement. "We must have a good supply of grief seeds to purify everyone's soul gems, even with just two puella magi in the same town are enough to start causing problems by competing for resources." Her mind thought about the mysterious dark-haired puella magi at that sentence, even though she just helped her earlier.

"But the magic Patchouli used didn't need purification right? If so, why not asks her to help, or train someone to help us." Madoka propose an idea.

'_As I said before… and you already witnessed it…'_ Kyubey shook his head in denial of such idea. _'…Her magic are too weak, and takes too long to trained up to utilized as much as her, I've no doubt that if she lived long enough she might be able to matched some low level puella magi one day, but the problem is, human couldn't live that long.'_

Of course, what Kyubey forget to mentioned is the state Patchouli currently in at the time, nor the facts that he doesn't have any more idea about her magic than what they all have seen together either, however, he's quite confident that what he seen is the 'true strength' of Patchouli, after all, only a fool will not went all-out and throw everything they've got in a life and death situation, wasn't it?

By showing these facts, it could easily paint Patchouli's magic as impractical to try and practice. Further drive the point home by his next sentence._ 'In fact, her magical potential is great enough to surpassed Mami easily, but from what I saw yesterday, she seems unable to tap in more than 10% of what she could theoretically do at most.'_

Seeing that other three girls nodded in agreement to his statement, Kyubey continues. _'And don't forget the fact that she said it herself that she trained for decades to be able to do just that, even if we assumed that she take 10 years to be able to wield 10% of her power, it'll take 100 years for her to gain full access to her true power, by that time, it's too late to be of any worth.'_

This time, Kyubey implied that '10 years of practice and you can used 10% of your magical potential, thus to use 100% by themselves, they'll need 100 years', but Walpurgisnact will come at the end of this month, they won't have enough time to practice. But he forget to mentioned that starting from nothing take longer than doing it the second time when you already have the firm understanding, or in other word, Patchouli training them wouldn't take as long as when Patchouli started, assuming that Patchouli's words are true and she trained it by herself alone.

Of course, someone with experience against crimes or liars will see through this 'deception' easily, but that's not the case for three girls here, for them they're only middle school girls who lack experience in every fields imaginable, and thus, trusted the little contractor without thinking it through.

"I trust you about it, Kyubey…" Mami stated, eyeing the white creature before continues her speaks. "But even then, we should try to convince her to join us. After all, someone with experienced in magic beforehand will have a head start, and lower training time overall, so we have a better chance at protecting this city from Walpurgisnacht as we have more experienced people at our side."

"Not mentioned, she might exchange her spells for us too." Sayaka inserts her idea, blue eyes looking into the sky as if she was dreaming. "Think about it, if she can push back the witch with it, what could it do when used by puella magi? It'll be a great offensive spell for sure!"

Kyubey seems not expecting this, he stay silence for a while before answers. _'It's highly probable that her magic might be learnable by any magic capable humans since she started it from scratch so the concept is that human can do it unlike magic the puella magi used which is varied depended on their wishes and their psyche shaping the concept.' _

Sayaka brighten mood at the prospect of getting more power than what the wish manifested was shattered by the next sentence. _'But I doubt that any of you girls will be able to achieved what normal puella magi can do by only practicing that style of magic, never mind that it may take 10 years for you to actually cast that spell you saw earlier even if you contract with me, I doubt it'll worth the effort.'_

The girl is fuming, but Kyubey pay no heed to her and continues. _'By the way, about convincing the patient and businesswoman pair, I accessed that probability of them contracting is low, even now…'_

"I don't' think they'll change their mind that fast, you're expecting too much Kyubey." Sayaka use this chance to scold and snapped back at the white creature for ruined the mood a few moment ago, but he still kept smiling regardless. "Think about it, if faced with the monster couldn't make them contract, I don't think that your words would change that."

'_Indeed, but it's still worth a try.'_ Kyubey inclined his head a little, unfazed by his failure. _'Furthermore, there's something else I wanted to confirm with them, particularly, the businesswoman, Ran.'_

"What does that supposed to mean, oh wait, did you have a feeling for her? Tell me, do you want to ask her on a date by using contract to mask your intention?" Sayaka asks, grinning at the thought that this white creature develop a crush, or some sort of attraction toward the older woman.

Kyubey, still smiling, answer the blue haired girl in normal tone, clearly not showing any sign of embarrassment to make her laugh at all. _'It's not about relationship between me and her, but it has to do with her magical power, although it's strong, but it also… for lack of better term, weird.'_

Before any of the girls could response, the bell rang through the air, signifying that the lunch break is nearly over and all students should return back to their classroom for the afternoon lessons. They all broken off, moving back into the school building with Kyubey latched on Madoka's shoulder as usual, waiting for the girls to back to class first before continue their conversation.

'_Well, now we're free for about five minutes before teacher walk in…'_ Madoka speaks telepathically to the creature sitting on her shoulder, after she and Sayaka took their respective seats. _'So, what's wrong with Miss Ran?'_

Kyubey wasn't paying attention to her, instead, he is looking at the dark haired classmate, who seemed to just show up at the room entrance, her purple eyes glare at Kyubey with irritation for a few seconds, which prompted Sayaka to turn at and glare back, sending a message "Don't try to harm him or face the consequence!", before the girl decided to settles down on her own seat, looking at Madoka once before turn her attention to her books, disperse the heavy atmosphere between the groups somewhat.

After the short stand-off ended, Madoka repeat her question to Kyubey, and this time, he answer in telepathy that reached even Mami one floor above since they're basically the same team_. 'Her magical signature emanated from her body is unlike any human I ever seen.'_ He told them bluntly, straight to the point. _'It feels more… vile, sinister and oppressive, but not like witches power which also emanating despair feeling, that's why it's quite confusing how a human could have such power in them.'_

"I don't get what you said, but I only know that she's weird right?" Sayaka whispers, glancing at Kyubey and Madoka before voicing her opinion, lucky that Hitomi, the green shoulder-length haired girl she was sitting next o. "Perhap she's a witch in human form?"

'_Statistically impossible.'_ Kyubey quickly denies. _'Witches never have human-like intelligence, not mentioned that whatever type of magical power she emitted also made them perceived her as a threat, thus the reason why those familiars yesterday focused on her and left us alone, Sayaka.'_

He then conclude his decisions the moment teacher enter the room. _'That's why I'm going to try persuade her to become puella magi again after school, if you three get there and explained about the upcoming Walpurgisnacht too, I think that she, and the patient girl, will listen to us and give it a second thought about contract.'_

'_Sounds like plan.'_ Mami adds, her mind still whirling around the soon-to-come Walpurgisnacht due to stress from yesterday encounter has shattered her self-confidence on top of feeling lonely until Madoka and Sayaka came into her life, even she wanted them to consider their wishes carefully before making contract, but deep in her heart, she has little hoped that these girls will find one quickly and contract to become true comrade alongside her.

Or at least, having another senior in their group will help the odds against super witch greatly, she now can only hope that Ran, Patchouli, Marisa or Alice might reconsider the contract with Kyubey, if they could find them in case of the latter two, that is.

* * *

Sun is setting down, bells are ringing all over the school signify that their classes for today has ended. Three girls step out under the orange sky onto the street in front of their school before walking toward the bus stop and waiting there for the transport to take them to the Mitakahara hospital as they've planned.

All around them, students from the same academy are walking, chatting with each other while waiting for the bus to take them home, no one in particular is interest in other outside their respective group of friends, thus, in a sense, this's a perfect spot to speaks on some sensitive subjects, like about monster that threaten to end this city's existence, or about potential allies to aids them in their quest.

However, before they can take the bus, another girl from the younger one's class, the dark haired puella magi has walk past them, stopping for only a moment, eyes narrowed at the sight of Kyubey in Madoka's embrace, turning toward Mami who shot her an inquisitive look, and Sayaka who glare at her in anger, before brushing her waist-length hair out of her sight and speaks politely.

"I hope that you all know what you're doing, after the lesson yesterday, knows in your heart that becoming puella magi is the walk with death, ask yourself if those that entailed worth the miracle you wished for." With that parting word, she nodded to Mami once, before walking away and disappeared around the corner, leaving the three girls behind.

"As aloof as ever, geez…" Sayaka muttered once Homura is out of earshot, clearly still despising her classmate, and the latter's attitude won't help improving that either.

"I know, Sayaka-chan" Mami place her hand on the girl's shoulder, as if to stop her from making rash action. "…But it still cannot deny the fact that I, and even Patchouli, owned her a life debt, despite what I've done to her earlier and she still came to save us."

"What do you mean you do something to her?" Sayaka asks, clearly confused.

Mami lower her head a little, golden eyes dimmed with shame and regret, before she decided to confess the truth. "Yesterday, when I'm moving to save you, Patchouli and Ran, Homura appeared and asks me to leave you in her care during this witch hunt."

The blue haired girl's eyes widen in realization, she heard the last telepathic words from her senior at that time stating that she met someone or something before she get to her, she didn't expected that to be Homura at all, so it's natural that she asks. "But, what happened?"

Sound of a large vehicle approaching where they stood, before the bus they wanted to take skidded to a halt next to them, doors open to let passengers in and out, which all three girls quickly get inside just a few moment before the bus moved again.

Once they've the seat at the back of the vehicle which is not crowded, Mami continues her story in telepathy, so other passengers couldn't hear it. _'I used my magic to tie her down, incapacitated her in the witch barrier despite she didn't do anything beyond demanded that she's the one to take that witch down because she sense its danger.'_

Madoka look down on her feet, feeling ashamed as if it was her fault that the situation escalated to that point, Sayaka's jaw dropped, surprised by the revelation, Mami then conclude her story with small drops of tears in her eyes. _'And you all know how it went… I nearly lost my life… because of my own recklessness and arrogance.'_

All these made the blue haired girl looking at her classmate with a new light, she maybe not that bad after all, and what she displayed today was just to show that she still bitter about what her senior has done, so it was justified and not without a senseless cause like 'preventing the birth of new puella magi' as she was once believed.

No one ever speaks to each other again for the entire trip toward the hospital, all their minds are deep in their own thought, even Kyubey has enough sense to shut himself up and let the time flow by…

* * *

"Seriously, you're really persistent…" the blond businesswoman in her usual black uniform facepalm herself while she set three chairs around Patchouli's bed, before motioned at the three girls to sit on them, while the white magical creature, the reason for Ran's upset contented to sitting on the pink haired girl's shoulder looking around the room with mild interest contrast with Madoka who has been here for the first time.

Patchouli's room is just the same as every other patient room she saw before, unlike Kyousuke's next door which she occasionally visited with her friend before noticed the oblivious feeling Sayaka displayed, this room painted in light green, bed next to the window, a sofa for patient's relative, chairs, fridge, bathroom, small bookshelf that has a few books which Ran likely brought, and television. All arranged in a perfectly plain and normal.

The patient herself is in her usual bed, reading book written in strange language that Madoka, who sat nearby, unsure what to says, couldn't make head or tail what it's all about, Mami contented herself with helping Ran preparing tea for everyone, while Sayaka isn't in the room at the moment, she's in the room next to them visiting her friend Kyousuke and Madoka doubt she will join them anytime soon.

A pleasant smell filled the air, three hot cups of tea delivered to each guest plus one, the patient received none due to order from doctor thus contented herself to a glass of water, judging by the irritated look on her face, it's clear that she didn't pleased with this arrangement at all, but can do nothing if she was to get better soon, while Kyubey also receive none, but because he couldn't drink it without someone spoon-feed him.

And thus, all of them slowly sipping their own respective drink in silence, unsure of how to start conversation, thanks to what Ran uttered the moment she saw them along with Kyubey earlier, it's clear that she's not going to change her mind about becoming one of the oldest puella magi Kyubey ever contract just yet, not to mentioned that they knew absolutely nothing about the two adults making it harder.

Until their teas are half-empty, that the blonde puella finally gather courage to begin. She set her cup on her lap, gazing at the businesswoman, who also returns the gaze, before she asks. "I'm sorry for the problem we dragged you two into, ma'am, but please, could you two reconsider making contract with Kyubey and become puella magi, the fate of this city depend on us now."

Patchouli stopped sipping tea, her purple eyes narrows at the blonde, the same as Ran who also eye them as if to assess their worth, before she nods as a sign to continue her conversation.

Mami took a deep breathe, calming herself from joy that at least they didn't kick her and her friends out the moment she started asking them to become puella magi, before explains to them about the upcoming apocalypse. "We just received information that, by the end of this month, a witch, er… monster of great power will arrive in this city, bringing destruction and suffering on the scale never before seen…"

At that words Ran quirk her eyebrows and interrupt her speech. "Pardon? You said you have this information, where's the source? Are they… reliable?"

'_That would be me.'_ Replies Kyubey, before he jump onto the bed and stare at both adults, as if to try to make them know that he's serious, but it's hard to do so when your face is smiling all the time, so the most he could do is just getting their attention to him. _'As you know that I can communicate telepathically with other of my comrades across the globe, that way I can gain such information.'_

"So, why not call some of your comrade here to reinforce your ranks? It's a better and sound tactics than recruiting a new one who has only one month to prepare, no?" Patchouli quickly pointed out the flaw in the creature's logic, further reinforce by the next sentence. "And if you ask me, by the prospect of your wish-granting power as part of your contract, I'm quite sure that many young girls would be willing to take up such task, and they'll have more experience in this field than us, isn't it? So… where… are… they…? Why there's only one in this city?" She emphasis her last question slow and loud enough that everyone in the room will hear it.

Silence reigned once more, Mami and Madoka looks at Kyubey questioningly, worries marred their face especially Madoka, expecting Kyubey to says something to comfort them, saying that there're more of puella out there but cannot leave their respective area, else it'll be overrun by witches in their absence, or just that they cannot afford to come here due to distance or monetary issues.

But Kyubey suddenly decided to be brutal honest with the truth, which is justified because he's dealing with adults at the moment, any form of deception, or half-truth are unlikely to go on without noticed, and that will just build up their mistrust, making them even more unlikely to contract. Or in other words, contradicted his modus operandi, so he answers in calm, emotionless voice as if stating the facts._ 'Of course, Miss Patchouli, there're more of puella magi out there, but not all of them survived, since it's a battle after all.'_

"I see, and you now admitted that you're sending young girl on what probably best described as military operation, seriously, why not form contracts with people in the army of any country in the world instead? I don't think that everyone will become magical inept just by joining the army right?" Ran voice her opinion, using the knowledge of the outside world to her advantage to fill in the part that Patchouli lacks, and to prevent Patchouli from answering that question herself, which that lacks of knowledge might accidentally provide a clue to Incubator.

Madoka and Mami slack jawed at the exchange Ran and Kyubey pulled off, they certainly didn't expecting this kind of conversation at all, and from the silence of the small creature, it seems that even Kyubey didn't think that Ran will asks this question either, however they're saved from further awkward atmosphere when a sudden loud crash followed by someone yelling echo through the wall…

The wall that split between Patchouli's room and Kyousuke's one…

Everyone save Patchouli stood up and rushed to the door, running to the opened entrance where the crippled boy's staying, only to saw pieces of metals and plastic in unrecognizable form scattered all over the floor all the way to the door, Sayaka standing to the side staring at her friend who's fuming on his bed with blood dripping from his cripple hand onto the broken cassette lying on blanket, not sure what to do.

The only adult in the group just take a look at the mess inside the room for mere seconds, then move across the messy floor toward the boy, eyes flared with anger, brushing aside Sayaka, she then proceed to raise her hand and slapped on the boy's face… hard!

"What's that?" Ran said in cold and calm voice much like mother scolding a child. "Trashing around like this and you expect your injury to heal up?" She then yell at Sayaka who still shock at the display "Find bandage and antiseptic alcohol then bring them to me, if it's not here then get it from Patchouli's room!" Last sentence she directed at Madoka and Mami, whom quickly scramble out of the room, not wanted to make woman angrier than she already has, while Sayaka also rummage through the mess of a room to find what Ran asked for while still paying attention to the older woman in silence.

The boy seems didn't expect his new neighbor to suddenly show up, much less slapping him, he hold his good hand on his redden cheek from the slap, tears flowing, before snapping back at her. "It won't heal anyway, so why must I care? I won't be able to play violin anymore! And she still mocking me by makes me listen to them!"

He try to slam his broken fist down on the cassette, but Ran grabbed it and squeeze it hard that he let out a cry of agony, she then whisper to him, disgust evident in her voice. "So? You wanted it to be even more broken just because of this? Just that you couldn't play Violin so you'll hurt yourself to the point it's useless to everything? What've gotten in your head, boy?"

Kyousuke cannot find any logic to counter what Ran just said, so he turn his head away, withdrawing his hand the moment Ran loosen her grip, and instead of backing off, the fox lady cross her arms and continues "Have you ever heard about musicians who lost both of their arms and still continue their career using their feet?"

This got attention of the crippled boy, he hesitantly turned back, looking directly into Ran's golden eyes to see the sign of lies or deception, but he found nothing but seriousness emanating from them, thus he shakes his head, answering her question without words.

Ran return the glare causing the boy to flinch at the distasteful she emitted for a moment, before her eyes seems soften a bit and speaks. "The world you've seen is too small, boy, I've came across such individuals during my life more than once. Did they all give up on music upon discovered that they've lost their limbs? For the better, have you ever heard of Beethoven, who composed great music despite he's deaf? Did these individual let their body dictated their paths?"

Those words seem to affect the boy somewhat, his face paled in realization, know it in his heart that what she has said was true, and how stupid he is to think that crippling hand means the end of his career. "N… No…" Kyousuke's speech finally return, his face looking down on his bloodied hand, clearly regret what he have done earlier, he then whisper to her. "I'm sorry."

"You should apologize to her, not me…" Ran quickly replies, glancing at kneeling form of Sayaka near cupboard at the corner of the room, not as much searching as she's eavesdropping, cause her to lost balance and hit the opened drawer at the mention of herself. "You've hurt her good will by your own actions, not I who am just a neighbor."

"N… no…" Sayaka stammered, slowly get up from the floor, face redden. "It… it's my fault too, not knowing that… you…"

"No…" Kyousuke interrupted, his voice filled with shame. "Miss Ran is corrected, my narrowed view has blinded me from the truth. I never once think that there're more people who are even more unlucky than me, yet they didn't let that stopped them from their greatness, I've decided Sayaka…" Now he looks at his crippled hand with determination. "… I'll not let this hand held me back from violin anymore, if those people can do it, then I can too!"

Then he turns toward Sayaka and bow his head. "I'm sorry, my outburst is uncalled for, forgive me Sayaka."

"W… well…" the girl scratching back of her head, unsure what to says next, and quietly thanks her friends who appeared back at the door carrying bandage and disinfection medicine, prompting Ran to quickly get them and applies first aid before calling doctor to look after him.

And so a few moments later, they're back to Patchouli's room once more, Sayaka's face red as tomato thanks to Mami who keep teasing her all the way to the room (while out of Kyousuke's earshot of course.) hidden away from the magician by her hands, Madoka who's her pink eyes glance at Ran with a thankful look, and lastly Kyubey, who remained silence since the beginning of the ordeals with the boy up until now, turns toward Patchouli, seems eager to continues what's left off.

'_Your illness will be no more if you wished for it with the contract.'_ Kyubey speaks, glancing at Mami who narrowed her eyes at him, make him quickly adds to Patchouli. _'Of course I'm not suggesting you to use your wish like that, it's a one-time use after all.'_

"However, as much as I respect your decision about not contract to fulfilling wishes you wanted to accomplished yourself, ma'am" Mami speaks, her voice fill with desperation. "We still confronted with the facts that a great enemy will arrived in this city soon, and that you're not in good position to combat such a being with what you've at the moment, so please, reconsider it a little."

Ran let out a sigh, glaring at Kyubey venomously while Patchouli frowned at the mention of contract, purple eyes which looks upon the blonde schoolgirl filled with annoyance, before she speaks, her tone noted that this's her final decision, her fists also curled up in front for everyone to see to further signify it. "No, I will not, maybe I can't win, but I won't contract and get the easy way out from you, however insignificant my magic might be, I will fight with what I have, and I will find the way, that's what I'll do."

Meanwhile, Ran also nodded at Patchouli, signified that she, like her, choose the same choice as her.

Madoka stared in awes at the magician's indomitable will, Sayaka looking back and forth between Kyubey and Patchouli, uncertainty in her blue eyes, not sure what to make of her decision, Mami nods, seems ready to accept whatever decision they made, after all, who's she to voice her opinion on the one who's far older, and more experienced than her, if not in the field of magic, then in real world. (Well, she has no idea how old they really are.) The only thing she can do is just remind them about impending disaster, and let them decide for themselves.

The only one who seems disappointed by this development was Kyubey himself, he inclined his head then speaks _'That's unfortunate, and a waste of potential I might add, but after all it's your call, so I won't ask any further, if you have a change of heart, you know where to find me.'_

It was then that Mami noticed the sun has already set, leaving only white artificial light on the ceiling to illuminate the room they're in, and thus she quickly tapping Madoka's and Sayaka's shoulder pointing out this oblivious fact to them. Of course, Sayaka suddenly jumped out of her chair, picking up her schoolbag and said "Darn! I forget that I've homework to do today, and tomorrow is deadline!"

That make Madoka's eyes widen in horror, she know all too well about her teacher's wrath that will unleash upon the student who forgot their homework, and thus her reaction is the same as her friend, apologize Ran and Patchouli, before saying goodbye and move out of the room, with Mami follow close behind, but not before remind them for the last time about Walpurgisnacht so they could at least find shelter when the time come.

Ran's gaze follow the young girl, particularly, the blue haired tomboyish one, since the moment she look at Kyubey hesitantly during their conversation, eyes narrowed with understanding but not speaking anything, until she was sure that those girls and Kyubey are in the elevator and moving down, that is.

"Her will is too weak." The nine-tailed fox speaks quietly about Sayaka. "…It'll not surprise me in the slightest if she'll contract and become puella magi the next day despite our effort to remove some motivation… or rather… what to wish for, from her." She glances at the door of the neighboring patient with mild disgust, before mutters. "What a stuck up, self-centered boy he is…"

"But you also know, that he's not like this during the past few days." Patchouli voice her thought. "I think it has something to do with the witch that appeared yesterday, maybe it radiates something affecting human brainwave? Or is it chemical, pheromone-like? Or something about energy…" She trailed off, before her eyes widen as if she suddenly realized something important.

Ran decided to keep her mouth shut while looking at the magician who quickly brought out a notebook and start writing on it quickly that some people might fear the paper would catch fire, muttering some nonsense words in the process. "Maybe this's right… no… no… this must be experimented." She then closed the notebook and sigh in disappointment.

That makes the fox lady to open up conversation. "Did you found anything?"

Patchouli didn't replies immediately, instead, she laid back onto her pillow, pulling up blanket before speaking. "I think so, but to confirm that I need to experiment, and I couldn't do it at the moment."

"Oh… I see…"

Patchouli frowned, before sighing again. "I've to get better soon, and to be serious, I thought that even when we're back to our home after all of this, I must remind myself to keep my health in shape all the time so this kind of incident never happen again…" She then mutter to herself. "At the very least, this'll lower the chance for Marisa to exploit my moment of weakness to steal my books."

She then rolled up in bed, closed eyes, and begins to rest, leaving Ran to opened TV and watches the show and wait for the next checkup from the nurse.

And thus another day in magician (and nine-tailed fox)'s life in an alternate universe.

* * *

Author Note: Hope that Kyubey's reasons and decision is still in-character and within reason to all of you, if anyone has different opinion, please tell me.

If something about the plot, the conversations, seems not right, please tell me too.

PS: I just beat Etrian Odyssey 3 for the first time, and I go for the true ending, really lucky that the random number god decided to let the true final boss use attacks that I have counter against during my party's set-up period, otherwise I'll be dead from turn 1. By the way, seriously, boss without attack pattern? Yeah, right… head you win, tail you lose…


	11. Chapter 10: Unknown Menace

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 10: Unknown Menace**

Ran's fear of Sayaka Miki contract with the little accursed creature to become magical girl materialized two days later in the form of the boy next door to them now suddenly recovered his crippled hand, to the doctor's surprise, defying all calculations and anticipations, the hand healed at an alarming rate, surpassed every method of regeneration known to mankind at the time despite the patient himself received no such treatment!

However miraculous it might be, only his neighbors next door could sense a flows of power which they couldn't pinpointed exact original location due to distance entering the boy, repairing the damaged nervous system, replicating new cells to replaced damaged one, accelerate cell duplications, yes, in short, Patchouli and Ran could see how the magic power actually works inside Kyousuke behind the scene, out of sight of doctors and nurses.

But then again, their experience with another doctor from the moon instantly made this 'miracle' became not that impressive as it should be, even Ran commented about it the second day's evening after the magic started taking effect when they phoned their friend in Kasamino town, something along the line of. "Eirin could heal him back to perfect health in less than hour so we can strip that girl the need to contract, or the wish she wanted it to be fulfilled the easy way, that is, if Lady Yukari allowed her to come along with us."

And of course, seriousness of the situation that another girl has fallen victim to Kyubey's sugarcoated contract vanished the moment Marisa opened her mouth, speak jokingly. _'Aww… that's too bad, we have only gunner (Mami) and mages around here, fighter if we counted Kyoko we met another day, but we still short on medics to heal in fight against… OW!… OW! Stop it Alice!'_

Then the phone hung up, Ran and Patchouli could still hears the sound of something smacking on Marisa's head from the other end, indicating that the black white has dropped the phone when Alice, who seems not that amused by the joke, start expressing her 'annoyance' on her yet again.

Both of them let out a collective sigh at the childish behavior both ordinary magician and puppeteer displayed, before the phone was picked up again, by their apprentice who just entered the room on the other end of the phone line, but judging from what she spoke next, she's more than likely in the room together with her teachers when they made the call.

'_I won't call that wish 'the easy way out' per se, Master Patchouli.'_ Oriko voice her comment to another teacher and her friend when her teachers still smacking each other in the background, glancing at them for a moment, she continued, unaware that Ran has tried her hardest to suppress her giggling at the mention of word 'Master Patchouli' or that Patchouli herself is frowning but choose not to say anything. _'The injuries may healable, yes, but the doctor and knowledge of this age is not enough to do so, discounting our magic, so, in her eyes, the only way out is miracle, or wish granted by Kyubey.'_

Patchouli still silent, not saying a word while she processed what she had obtained, which the white haired puella choose that moment to speaks further about recent event on her ends. _'Speaking about wish, Homura showed up yesterday around 10pm., asking Marisa and Alice to help her fight Walpurgisnacht again.'_

"I see…" Patchouli answered her apprentice, trying to ignore Ran, who despite resumed her seriousness on the subjects, still unable to stop that giggling completely, not that she herself care about the nine-tailed though, and even now, she still found that her apprentice's 'slip-up' appealed her somewhat. "… What did Marisa and Alice decided then?"

Oriko hung up a few moments, looking back at the still fighting teachers, sighing and answers. _'They agreed on it with just one conditions that… er… what can I say?…'_ She trailed off a little, gathering up some words maybe, before continues. _'…they asked her to perform a 'test' as a rite of passage, and if she pass, they'll also teach her how to use magic better too. But still…'_ She quickly adds despite not knowing what Patchouli is thinking at the moment. _'They still whined the fact that someone called 'Sakuya' couldn't come here, else it would be so much easier to improve her abilities.'_

"I'll try asking Lady Yukari about that next time she awake…" Ran's voice interrupted the patient's phone call, much to Patchouli's surprise that she thought Ran would expect just three of them to do the job alone and no more backup than necessary. "At least that way, she could stop using her time magic by instinct. But don't get too much hope up about it, I don't know if she will wake up in time or not." She shrugged at the last sentence, much to Patchouli's chagrin.

'_So, this Sakuya is a time magic user in your universe?'_ Oriko couldn't help but asks

Patchouli thought about it for a second and decided that it is information they could share, thus she replies. "Yes, she doesn't have time travel abilities, not one that I'm aware of… but other aspects of her power are the same as Homura's, only she had more experience using them than her… and her power never went out of control, or used automatically by instinct like you puella magi were."

'_Ah…'_ Oriko let out a mumble of understanding. _'… It would be for the best if Miss Ran could persuade her master to let her through and teach this girl, because someone with such power that can activate on instinct in a moment notice is a wildcard no matter how I looked at it, it can potentially undo all the efforts we put through this quest in a blink of an eye.'_

"Indeed… and I agree with you…" Ran stated before sighing when her mind ventured toward her master's behavior, knowing that chances are so slim that it might be next to impossible at the moment. "But as I said before, don't get your hope up too much."

'_I know…'_ Replied the puella magi. _'But still, thank you for your help.'_

Suddenly a sound from certain black-white witch entered the phone, seems to quarrel has been settled between her and Alice already. _'Well, get back to your training please, oh by the way, Ran, Patchy…'_ She then addressed her friend at the hospital. _'… We may have to shift our grief seed hunting ground toward Mitakahara faster than we've first anticipated.'_

"Something happened?" Patchouli asked with a look of surprise in her purple eyes.

'_Well, it's safe to say that witches are officially declared extinct in Kasamino city.'_ Marisa replied jokingly, with Alice cracking her fists nearby and Oriko decided to leave them to their demise and go out of the room toward the garden to practice her shooting some more. _'Looks like between us and that girl Kyoko are the cause of this extinction, or maybe there aren't any puella magi in this city to turned into witches anymore, well, whatever, we have to hunt witches from another area instead.' _The black-white explained.

"I see… one can never have enough spare parts… huh?" Patchouli stopped mid-sentence when she heard someone knocking her room's door, looking up at Ran who also looked at her, before glancing at the door motioned that Ran will be the one to open it and thus send the nine-tailed to do so, while she continue her conversations.

* * *

Ran approached the knocking doorframe within a split second thanks to her enhanced agility of her species, furrowing her eyebrows at the thought of who might be visiting them in such hour, at first she thought it to be the incubator, then shook such grim thought away because it sounds too illogical, thus that left only one… or two choices of answer, which is not that dangerous.

So she grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open, only to find certain one blue haired girl in a cream-colored school uniform and a black tartan short skirt carting a wheelchair-bounded grey haired boy in patient grey uniform waiting outside, looking at her.

The nine-tailed fox in businesswoman form raise eyebrows at the pair, silent for a moment before apologized. "Ah… sorry for my manner… come in, you two…" She then gesture the duo to get into Patchouli's room, before closing the door behind.

Once inside, Ran going over to the table and started making tea, while Patchouli decided to cut short the conversation to prevent secret leak about her connection with Oriko, and by extension, Marisa and Alice, before welcoming their guest. "Ah, good evening, Miss Sayaka, Mister Kyousuke, did you two come here to tell us about your recovery, yes?"

It was Sayaka who suddenly stutter, eyes widen in surprise. "H… How did you know?"

Patchouli shook her head and let out a sigh, before glancing at the boy who shot an apology look then turned to answer the girl's question. "Simple, remember that I had to attend to physical therapy as well, and two of us are the only patients that run the course at the moment… well, does the math yourself, what I should've concluded once I found out that I'm alone in there for the past two day?"

"Oh, I… get it, maybe, heh heh heh…" Sayaka let out a laugh, her cheeks turn a little pink while her hand went up to the back of her head rubbing her short blue hair in embarrassment, while Kyousuke shook his head and looks at the oldest woman in the room who's carrying three hot teacup on a tray toward them.

Which is lucky for him, or rather Patchouli, so the boy didn't see the widen-horrified look of recognition that the one week wizard shot toward an unnaturally glowing blue sapphire gem adorning Sayaka's finger, nor Sayaka do either.

Then Patchouli caught sight of Ran winking at her, hinting that she was making a face she wasn't supposed to, that made she regain her composure and silently thanks Ran for the warning, before Kyousuke speaks happily to everyone. "I'm able to use my hand playing violin once more, Miss Patchouli, and I will be able to walk again soon, something doctor thought impossible, I don't know what to think…"

Patchouli chuckles, garnered attention from both children, and then congratulate the boy. "I congratulate you on your miraculous recovery then, to be able to have a healthy, unflawed body once again is a blessing, young one, keep it that way to your best and fulfill your dream with the chance you've been given then."

Ran voice her opinion after Patchouli's keep reminding him of shame he brought upon himself not too long ago. "But you should not forget what I've told you few days ago, life is full of hardship and unpredictable, you have been granted a second chance at normal life, not a crippled one, treasure your blessing well."

Kyousuke nodded before Ran continues "And always remember about those who suffered for their whole life but never let their suffering determined their fate, or their destiny, remind yourself of the true value to have a perfect body required to fulfill your dream, and not to fall to despair yet again should it have been taken away from you the second time. After all… future… is… never… certain… who's to say it won't happen?" She pressed the emphasis on the last sentence.

The boy turn his wheelchair to directly face the businesswoman, then bowed himself at her with respect. "I'll never forget the lesson you taught me, it was truly enlightening, thank you again for your advice, Miss Ran."

Then its Sayaka's turn to bow her head to Ran and thanks her for helping Kyousuke getting past the worst day of his life, which Ran just answered with a smile on her face. "It's not me whom you owe thanks, doctors, nurses, all of them take parts in his recovery, I just beat some sense into him, nothing more, nothing less."

The pair look up to Ran's yellow eyes and promised her that they will remember to thanks the doctors the day Kyousuke check out of the hospital. Which made Patchouli smiled at them sincerely at their politeness.

However their meeting was cut short by a nurse who got her way inside the room and demand Kyousuke's presence at the diagnosis department to check his recovery by doctor's order, and thus the boy apologized to everyone there before letting the nurse carting his wheelchair, with him on it out of the room, leaving only Sayaka behind due to Ran's insistence that she has something to 'catch up' with the tomboyish girl, that, and the girl herself doesn't have permission to get into that room anyway so going with Kyousuke is pointless.

Peeking at the doorway, Ran determined that there'll be no person coming here again soon, the time for Patchouli's routine checkup is still a couple of hours away from now, so she closed the door, turn her serious face toward the blue haired girl who sat beside the bed and voice her thought.

"I'll be more appreciated if you didn't contract with that little rabbit and gave Kyousuke an easy way out of his conditions." The edge in her voice gained Sayaka's attention in an instant, she turn to look at the businesswoman only to see disapproval and upset in her eyes, not appreciate, no thanks at all. However, she's more surprised about 'how did she know I've become a magical girl? I don't even told a slightest hint to them!' so much that she didn't know how to response.

Seeing that the girl stay silence, confused marred her face, clearly indicated that she doesn't know why Ran has such a reaction to her making a wish to heal her friend and become magical girl in the process, or rather, how does she know? Patchouli sighed, place her hand on the schoolgirl make her nearly jumped, and looking warily at another magical girl… well… in a sense… since she's able to use magic the same as puella magi, before the patient speaks. "It's just logical assumption if you think about it, an injury that's impossible to heal by today's knowledge, and human nervous system had limited ability to regenerate on its own, and then suddenly, they healed so fast that in another week or so, he'll back to normal? Please… what will you assume if you're in my position?"

Patchouli let out a small smile at the girl along with purple eyes staring at her with… sadness? Pity? Sayaka unsure about that, but she still brought her hand up for them to see the ring adorn her finger clearly, which the magician examined for a couple of second, before ask the newly contracted girl tiredly. "I hope you know what you're doing, contracting and become magical girl like this. Girls of your age should go to schools, studying and chatting with friends, not became frontline soldiers fighting to the death. And before you ask, I'm already past school age already." She added with a small chuckle, knowing that she didn't fully gave the girl her true age yet since it'll be too hard to believe.

"Someone has to do it… Miss Patchouli…" Sayaka replies, hands balled into fists when she thought back to the day that she and Mami nearly lost their lives, eyeing Patchouli with hope and determination. "… Mami-sempai is trying her best to protect this city, but as that day demonstrated, she alone wasn't enough… and the Walpurgisnacht is coming..."

"Then, why not asks other puella magi to assist here?" Ran interrupted Sayaka's monologue, her eyes narrowed down on the girl as if she has done something to offend the businesswoman. "I know that you want to protect your home, but as I said to Kyubey before, this's basically a military operation, not a child's play and so we should treat it as such, even you didn't contract you still able to help in other ways, you're too young for this task girl."

"Then why adult like you don't take the contract and fight them?" Sayaka snapped back at Ran, anger clear in her voice after taking barrage of words from the woman non-stop for the last few minutes. "Don't give the excuse like 'ask authority' around, don't you see what those things can do! What kind of 'authority' has enough power to deal with them? They couldn't even see them! And you can't kill what you can't see!"

"The world you've experience is too small, girl…" Ran countered calmly, not even bother to raise her voice, because, just moved next to the girl on chair, stood towering over the girl not even one step apart was intimidating enough to shut the girl up already. "Humanity advanced faster than you thought, and you gave your species too little credit for what they could achieve…"

Ran trailed off a bit when her eyes caught sight of Patchouli sending her a glare… a signal… which she quickly alerted to the fact that she just slip-up something… some phrases that shouldn't use if she was to disguised as human, and to made the matter worse, Sayaka caught on and shot back, both anger and confusion evident in her voice. "What are you saying? Aren't you human?"

Ran sighed silently, berating herself for such mistake, before calm down and try to think up something control the situation, luckily her more than ten-centuries of experience and brilliant mind of her own help her sorted out the solution in seconds, thus she opened her mouth, and side-stepped the question altogether. "I'm saying that you're giving too little credit to the scientists we've got here on earth, I'm sure that if we brought up such subjects to authority along with evidence like eyewitness and those grief seeds, I don't think they'll dismiss adult's claims with evidences easily."

"But it's only one month, there's little time left before the monster arrive!" Sayaka's not convinced, and she still slightly angry at Ran who seemingly not thankful for her contract in the slightest, however she still has some respect of the woman's bravery and knowing she's many years her senior who saw more than she had, so she's not mad enough to start shouting at her yet, instead she pled her. "It'll be too late to stop the Walpurgisnacht, Miss Ran, please be reasonable."

While the debates between Ran and newly-contracted magical girl continues, Patchouli lay back on her bed, looks like she was trying to take a rest, ignoring the commotion going on around her bed took the chance to interrupted the two without looking at them. "She got a point, Ran, but I still agreed that if we have more time to prepare, to study, the authority would be able to handle the task dealing with monsters like this. So you girls wouldn't need to take up arms and fight them anymore."

"Well, but normal human can't see them, I ran into one two days ago, and it's mind controlling dozens of people to commit mass suicide, none ever notice the creature at all even it sat next to them!" Sayaka brought up a point, evidence to supports her, and Kyubey's claim that only puella magi can fight such abominations.

Patchouli raised an eyebrow at the girl, before shut it back and seem to back down on asking authority. "I see… it seems you're right if what you saw is true." Then she scolded her… well, in a sense, with concern in her voice. "but you still don't have to contract anyway, didn't I promised you and everyone that I'll be there when the Walpurgisnacht come? I know that you thought I'm useless due to illness, but I'm sure I'll recover enough to not be a burden when the time comes, as I said, girls of your age shouldn't doing something like this."

Of course, Patchouli omitted the fact that she's much, much stronger than she let out during the witch attack in this hospital several days earlier thanks partly to her illness and partly from trying not to overexert herself as the doctor instructed. Because magician saw no point in telling Sayaka about that now, due to several reasons…

First, she's unsure if she'll believed her that she could really contribute help in the upcoming battle, and if what Kyubey told her, or rather, trying to persuade her during their last visit was any indications, the girl seems to believe in Kyubey despite Kyubey himself not able to evaluated her potential correctly at all, understandable, since from their perspective, he is a supernatural creature granting wishes for young girls, while Patchouli herself is just human who tried to emulate supernatural power they wielded, not a centuries old witch like she really is.

Second, even if she prove them just how much they were wrong, she'll be pushed into direct opposition of their own plan to stay under the radar of Incubator and risk that the damn contractor will put the pieces together, which if happened, their mission around here will be even much harder to complete, let alone stopping more girls from falling into Kyubey's sugarcoated contracts.

And thirdly, the most important one in Patchouli's eyes, is that she has developed a slight dislike in the blue-haired girl sitting next to her, thanks to the latter's weak willed and naïve thought about the world at large, which will not be so bad if not for she seems too unwilling to open her mind to opposite opinions around except some 'closed friends' of hers, like those hints which Oriko dropped during their last meeting, or the conversations she and Ran struck at Kyubey the other day. After all, if she really gave them a thought, she wouldn't contract with Kyubey this fast in the first place!

Sayaka stared at the still form of the magician, anger lost, replaced by thankfulness toward Patchouli despite she still refused to contract to gain more power for the fight, she then stammered, unknown to the dislike welled within the magician's mind. "We… Well, eh, I think you shouldn't overexert yourself Miss Patchouli… Your magic isn't that strong to begin with…"

Patchouli raised her hand up, stopping Sayaka from speaking further. "But I still able to stop that witch from eating your senior remember?" She reminded her with her lip curling up a small smile, proud in herself when she lifted one eyelid up a little to see Sayaka nodding in agreement with her, so she take the chance. "End of this discussion then… let's speaks about yourself, aside from upcoming danger, what made you decided to contract then?"

This subject proves effective in shifting Sayaka's interest away from something she wanted to hide, Sayaka's face redden a little, looking at the magician on bed, before answered in a small voice. "I… I wished to be a Hero, Hero of justice, to smite evil."

That sentence alone cemented Sayaka's status as 'naïve to the world' in the older girls' eyes instantly, however, instead of hate, Patchouli feel herself pity the girl even more than before instead, she sigh, brought her palm up to her eye, then asks back. "How are you supposed to be one? The only world that painted in black and white… is only in fictions, literatures!"

"Wha… what do you mean?" Sayaka seems unable to follow her, which cause Patchouli to sigh again.

"I ask you one question, Sayaka Miki…" Now both of her eyes are opened, looking at the young puella with intensity of concern. "…If there's robbery, and the robber turned out to do it to feed his poor son who's unable to afforded anything to eat and will die of poverty if no one doing something about it, who's wrong? The robber's wrong for breaking the law? But doesn't the authority wrong too for letting a child suffered to such condition to the point that his parent became desperate enough to break the law?"

Sayaka was dumbfound by Patchouli question, her mouth open and shut without a single word escape it, however, Patchouli still not finished as she proceed to the next example. "Or, if I'm to give another subject, how about one butterfly struck in spider web? If you free it, you're denying spider its meal, is that a sin for making the spider suffer for not having any food? Or you're stay away from it and let the spider eat that butterfly? Then you're sinned for ignored someone in need, someone who couldn't save themselves?"

Faced with such question, Sayaka couldn't find the appropriate answers for such thing, and thus left sitting silently, looking at Patchouli as if she want some advice. However, Patchouli just closed her eyes and fast asleep in seconds, leaving the girl and Ran be the only two who still awoke in the room.

"Well speech, Patchouli…" Ran whisper as to not disturb the sleeping magician, before she placed her hand on Sayaka's shoulder, causing the girl to jump out of the chair, shooting the older woman a glare. Prompting Ran to sigh before she said in motherly tone. "I'm not scolding you for becoming magical girl like that out of malice, Sayaka…"

Seeing that the girl's eyes look swaying and confused, Ran tried to explain further. "… As Patchouli has cited examples, you'll found that in real life everything is not painted in black or white, there's grey too. And a lot of things are grey… no one is completely evil nor completely good. Your ideal of becoming 'Hero of justice' will break you if you tried to uphold such thing."

Sayaka look uncertainly at Ran and frowned, she couldn't dropped her ideal that easily, but what Patchouli and Ran stated was also true enough that she couldn't find anything to counter their argument and realized that they did it out of concern for her own wellbeing, so, hesitantly, she said. "I… I'll think about it, sorry for that outburst too, Miss Ran, I shouldn't shout at you like that..."

Ran waved her hand as if to brush the matter away, speaking in a softer tone. "It's normal for young one to made mistake, and the adult to help them, don't worry, Miki Sayaka, I'm not offened…"

It was that moment which Sayaka heard the buzzing coming from her cellphone, which jolt her memories of asking Mami to train her in fighting as puella magi today, so she quickly apologized Ran and moving to get out of the room to meet with her senior, but not before Ran advise her one last time. "Do not judge people by just one look, Sayaka, as Patchouli has warned, there're more than black and white in this world, it's the nature that made it so, after all, who we are to change that?"

Sayaka nodded to the businesswoman before darting out of the room, unsure whether she understand what she said or not, but anyway, it is a lucky for Ran, since her cellphone ringed not a minute after the girl has left, and her eyes widen when she read the text on the screen saying who's contacting her right now, so she waste no time in picking it up, after all, it's her duty to serve her master anyway...

"Yes, this's Ran speaking, Milady…" The nine-tailed fox calmly addressed Yukari, who seem to awaken and now overseeing their actions from Gensokyou, yes, she's certain that her master definitely did so, it's in her power to do it and it's what made her sent these three magicians here in the first place, after all.

"… Yes, milady, but isn't that a bit too much compromised in their plan?" Ran whisper into the cellphone, looking warily at Patchouli who went into deep sleep if that slow, calm breathing was any indication, trying her best not to alert the magician about what her master about to do now. "… That's…" Her eyes widen, glancing furiously between the door, phone and Patchouli. "…I see, should I inform them? But you realized that I'll be obliged to go with them through the end if the plan turn otherwise?... "

"I see, so you allowed me to do it then… yes, it will be done milady…"

With those words she hung up, frowning heavily, her yellow eyes looking at the small form of magician, before finally spoke. "You're not quite good at pretend to be sleeping, Patchouli…"

"I never needed to…" the magician replied without moving an inch from her position. "You'll tell us anyway right? And as you said yourself, plans always change when put in motions."

"Indeed it is…" Ran sigh, before explained what her master had in mind, well, better said 'wanted her to do regardless of Marisa, Alice or Patchouli agreed to go along with it or not.' to the ill girl. "She wanted me to… in her own word 'spiking up event, authorized to show your true color if that what it take.' And you know that for me, Lady Yukari's order take priority." She then shrugged.

"I know, Ran, I know…"

Both of them quiet for a moment, before Patchouli breaks that silence again. "Hey, Ran…"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering, how come no puella magi ever made connection between that black cloud in their soul gem and the grief seed? Or at least questioned what it is…?"

Ran looked out to the evening sky, seems bothered when thought about what Patchouli just said. Indeed, it's suspicious when you think about it, when puella magi's soul gem constantly producing the black substance that has to be removed by monster's remains which can revive itself if exposed too much of that substance to it, yet, hardly any puella magi they knew, at least discount Oriko and Homura, never made the connection at all. She then answered in an uncertain tone. **"Maybe it has to do with those wishes overshadow everything else such as this into trivia matters need not the attention?"**

Patchouli grunted before replies quietly and gets back to sleep. "Maybe…. Maybe…"

* * *

It was at night in Mitakahara, only light source are from either stars in the sky or artificial one illuminating the city below, buildings of all height, high and low, household in living districts, cars on the streets and lampposts dotted the rough surface of the human settlement showing human moving along many districts after their work for the day has done. Some hurried home, some going to recreation places…

And some, just standing on top one of the buildings at the center of the city. Small form of ponytailed-hair girl in short blue jeans and green sweater covering white blouse beneath looking down below as if she is the queen glancing at his or her subjects, uncared of danger, uncared that it's time for a children of her age to get back to their home for safety, in hand holding a bag full of apples, and another lifting it to her mouth to take a bite. Next to her another form of cat/rabbit-like creature sitting still looking at the night sky with no interest, his mouth always curls into cat-like smile, as he always been.

'_I never expected you to show up here at all, Sakura Kyoko…'_ the creature, Kyubey spoke first without even looking straight at the red hair girl, his voice, however, betrayed his message since it did not shown any surprise at all, much to the girl's annoyance. _'What bring you here then? The last time I met you, things in Kasamino town you're living at are going smoothly isn't it?'_

Kyoko took another bite to vent her frustration when Kyubey's word accidentally reminded her the reason she have to came here in the first place, then, she answered, did nothing to hide the emotion coursing through her vein at the moment to the point of nearly shouting. "Witches just fucking disappeared from that town! Kyubey, tell me how is that even possible when I tried my hardest to cultivated familiars into a new witches this whole time!"

The creature didn't fazed by such outburst, its smile plastered on its face to made it looks cute now served nothing but irritated the red-haired puella even more, and its next suggestion didn't help improved her mood in the slightest. _'Maybe because someone else has hunted them all down when you're not looking? After all, you alone cannot cover the entire city at any time.'_

Kyoko bared her fangs, clearly not impressed by the little contractor, her now empty hand itching as if she wished nothing more than using it to strangle the little creature, but she restrained herself before finally chewing out on Kyubey. "You never reared your head there lately aren't you?"

'_No… since you made it clear that you don't wanted another puella magi in your city, and I couldn't detected any more potential contracts there anymore, so there's no reason for me to be there.' _Kyubey answered logically, well, but if you knew more about him, particularly, his true motive, only the last logic count, if there's even one potential girl in there, he would tried to form a contract with her anyway, Kyoko's death threat be damned.

But of course, Kyoko didn't know about this, and decided that raging on Kyubey won't yield any productive result for her, so she calmed down a little, before explains in details. "The witches disappeared, literally, one seconds ago I still sense their position on my soul gem, and once I give chase for a few minutes, they suddenly dropped out, no magic burst, no magical discharge from puella magi that indicate fighting, nothing to trace, it's like they get removed from this world. Damn…" She cursed at the end to show how much frustration it is to have her preys suddenly vanished without any trace to track down.

Kyubey however, interested in her earlier explanation and asks. _'Chase? They shouldn't be aware of your presence until you stepped into their barrier, why did you have to chase them at all?'_

Kyoko scratching her head while looking at Kyubey, eyebrow twitching. "Of course! They're running away from me! Why else do I have to give chase then? And once I thought I'm closing distance and near the battle, BAM! They vanished!"

'_Are you sure that they're running away from you, and not chasing someone else at the time? Did they moving toward some specific direction, or… following certain someone?'_ Kyubey inquired further, speculating what really happened there in the process.

However it seems that Kyoko was in no mood for such cooperation, that, or she just didn't notice something like what Kyubey just said at all, no one know, but the end results are the same, she have a thoughtful look for a few moment, then she scream in frustration before put an end to this conversation "GAAH! What's important about it? It won't bring witches back to that city anyway! And now that place is just devoid of any grief seed for harvest!"

For Kyubey, the prospect of the city mysteriously devoid of witches didn't interested him that much, he had his own theory too, that is, something that apparently able to 'lure' the witches from their lairs to their demise en-masses, so it seems that the puella magi (He assumed that the assailant must be one, since normal human do not possessed ability to use magic effectively by themselves.) who's responsible must have some kind of wish related to stealth, or subterfuge actions rather than brute force like majority of puella magi he contracted, so killing the witches without Kyoko notice her presence is possible, and that girl more than likely move up to the next city by the time Kyoko arrived here already, thus, there's nothing for him to do there.

Speaking of something to do, Kyubey decided to ask the red-haired girl who's now in the process of biting the next apple, with a more important question. _'So, what do you wanted to do here? I just contracted a new puella magi in Mitakahara days ago, that bring the puella magi count in this city up to three including Mami…'_ Kyoko's eyebrow twitched when she heard Mami's name from the little creature's mouth, but opts not to talk just yet and let the little contractor continues. _'… and another mysterious magical girl who actively tried to prevent the birth of another puella magi. I doubt that with this many puella magi in one area, the competition will be fierce…'_

"Of course, that's exactly what I'm planned to do!" Kyoko interrupted him, before taking another bite and continues. "Mami has grown too soft… letting you contract a new girl like that! Tsk…" She snorted. "I think they need a lesson."

'_Oh…?'_ Kyubey exclaimed, tried, and utterly failed to make it sound like he's genuinely impressed. _'So what's your aim here then?'_

"Of course, I'm going to occupy this city!"

* * *

Two days later…

It was a weekend, the day where most adults are at rest from their hard-working during the weekdays, and most children are given a free time after their schooldays, a time where they're free to do whatever they wanted to after their duties are done, a time to push aside their worries and tiredness to enjoy some form of comforts before they have to get back to their jobs once the weekday rolls over again in the day after tomorrow.

However, this's not the case for everybody, there're exceptions unfortunately, for someone, even a weekend is not a resting day for them, instead, their jobs demanded their presence at the workplace all the time saved for a few holidays which isn't that much per year. The most oblivious one would be doctors and nurses since their absence often means someone's death in case of the unexpected…

Or certain magical girls, who devoted themselves to hunting down supernatural abomination that the public don't aware of its existence, doing their job alone, away from the prying eyes of adults, sometimes even from their fellow magical girls due to competition in grief seed from the abomination in question, all these while they have to keep up with their 'regular' routine that a normal schoolgirl should follow, it's unsurprising that this's the most tiring business to do, some even broken down once they discovered the awful truth behind the system, or lost their normal social life thanks to time they spent hunting abomination instead of hanging out with their friends.

Except that for Homura, she feels that the endless torture she pushed through during the past countless timeline is better than the awkward training she was currently practicing… not in any craft which she already picked up long ago, but an entirely different things that she didn't thought exist.

In truth, the training in different art of magic, albeit what's up until now is just a normal flight and learn to exploit the limitation of her time magic thanks to the two magicians they're with already have some experience about it, she could endure them no matter how weird their teaching method were, especially the black white witch… er… Marisa. (Really? When you tried to teach someone to fly with words like "Always with you are 'cannot be done.' " "Try not, do or do not, there is no try." what kind of advice was that?)

However, that's nothing compared to training alongside Oriko, made even more worse by the older girl's calm and sincere attitude (She never once asks her how old she is, no matter which timeline she was in since she always put her six feet under the earth anyway, no good could came out from asking that, thus it's all assumption about her age.), it was, as if she's willing to help her, but not sure how to start since Homura always distance herself from her thanks to the past bad blood between the two, the issues which current Oriko didn't even committed yet and clearly never will, as long as their teachers still around and be the one in charge like this.

If she thought back carefully, it was all Homura's fault herself that she's not progress that fast in flight magic at all, all she could do now is floating around which is beneficial in traverse some rough terrain or bizarre area inside witch barrier, but totally made her wide open to attack due to not have enough speed, agility, acceleration and quick magical flow adjustment to perform aerial dogfighting like Oriko's, and she still couldn't work around the past grudge to asks for her help either!

Even now Homura, with experience from countless time loops backing her up, still have to grudgingly accepted that should she have to fight Oriko this time, it will be hard press to pinned the grey-haired girl down even with her time-stop power and the latter didn't use clairvoyance in their fight, since she didn't have the size of a skyscraper like Walpurgisnacht nor move that slow, before her massive amount of projectiles could reach her, she will be long gone from her marks.

"And now… it's tea time! Stop it you two, have a rest, you earned it after these practices."

The voice echoed through the Mikuni's Rose garden from the figure of blonde girl dressed in black and white attire with a matching hat on her head and a broom on her hand gave her a look resemble that of a witch in medieval lore, whom emerged from the front door of the manor walking cheerfully down the stairs. Behind her, a flock of identical blonde-haired miniature dolls in blue and white French maid attire floating along carrying one tray with teacups and a teapot, and another tray with some kind of biscuit and small plates for four people, and then the table and chairs for them...

Lastly, another blonde girl in blue and white dress, look quite like a normal woman follow, her face was frowning while looking at the book she was holding, blue eyes darting from one paragraph to another without spare a single glance at where she was walking to, however, she seems accustomed to this habit that she has yet to trip over, that, or that two dolls floating alongside her seems to guided her path at the moment, but for those who currently resided in Mikuni manor except Homura, they knew it was the latter.

The tea table set up quickly under the ray from the rising sun, it was approximately 10 a.m. in the morning so the weather is not that hot, after that, everyone slowly picked up their seats pouring tea for themselves and started to enjoy their brake, while Alice has yet to stop reading, her little servants still able to do most of the job in her stead.

All was peaceful and relaxing until a flash of light came from Oriko's house, followed by another tall blonde woman in black business suit walking her way toward the group elegantly, eyes stare impassively at them the whole time until she was right next to them.

It was Marisa who noticed the new arrival and appropriately asks first. "Oh, hello Ran, I thought you were busy accompanied Patchy at the hospital, what brings you here? I doubt incubator will take the rest on holiday like us human?"

Marisa is not afraid to talk about Kyubey's true name, and by extension, true nature of their contract in front of two puella magi since they're already in the know. However that didn't made the mood of the tiring girls to brighten at all considered that even with these kind of practices, their teachers still thought themselves as unready to face the incubator head on and denied to send them out to stop Kyubey from contracting more girls in Mitakahara, apart from Homura's advice to Madoka the other day.

But their thought didn't went unnoticed by the newcomer however, Ran smile a little while looking at them, specifically Homura, before states her business. "Ah, sorry for coming here in this hour, but it seems milady had her orders and I must carries it out. Don't worry about Patchouli, she was recovering nicely and doctor deemed she's healthy enough to be discharge and recovering by herself back home, she will sign off from the hospital today."

"Oh?" Marisa quirks her eyebrows, mildly surprised, while Alice slowly put down her tea (well, her doll do it for her.) looking suspiciously at the nine-tailed fox in business suit before asks straight to the point. "So, Yukari finally awake then, did she find our tactics of approaching Walpurgisnacht too boring for her taste and asks you to step in personally?"

Ran let out a chuckle while standing near the dark haired puella magi, who has yet to transform back to her normal attire, winking at the girl before answer at the frowning Alice. "Yes, and yes, however, before I told you what I'm going to do, it seems that there is news needed to delivered since we didn't phone you yesterday, particularly for you, Homura."

Homura's heart clenched, body shifting nervously as if she was afraid of something, a reaction which nearly made all people there laughed. "If you're worrying about Madoka forming a contract, I'd says no, she hadn't" Ran quickly assured her. "But it's her friend, Sayaka, I and Patchouli called her out on it two days earlier when she was visiting her friend's 'miraculous recovery'…" She gives a chuckle when her mind thought back at that time, before turning serious. "I can only hope that she will not drown in her own ideal of 'Hero of Justice' and die when she can't take the truth about the world anymore, or becoming a witch too fast before Patchouli or us could figure out something to help your condition."

Homura looked down on her empty cup of tea, tried her hardest not to let other, especially Oriko see how shaken she was, considered that in every single timelines where her friend managed to contract, things never ended well for the blue haired girl.

Contrary to what Sayaka, Madoka or Mami might think about her, Homura in fact did care for them, they're her friends, and it was that what was drove her out of her way to ensure that they'll never get struck with this unfair deal that ended in fate worse than death, to the point that she no longer care for their feeling anymore if that what it takes to save them from their doom.

So it's logical when Homura opened her mouth again, asked with uncertainty in her voice. "Can you find a way to save them?"

Ran crossed her arms, looking at the puella magi with apologetic smile on her face. "That must up to these three magicians whom you two called 'teacher' for the past few days, if they could figure out something to help you or not." Then she continues. "I'm here because, as Marisa has summarized, Lady Yukari had gave me an order, and that involved all of you."

Marisa who didn't saw the seriousness this order can mean simply shrugged, muttering something along the line of "Well, bring it on, but I'm interested in how the hell you monitored the city while still taking care of Patchouli." While the more pessimistic Alice stiffens, her eyes narrowed down on Ran, her lip curled into a frown and asks venomously while making a mental note that she should remind her companions to storm Yukari's house after this all end again_ verbally_. "So, what does Yukari decided to fools around today?"

Ran sigh, looking nervously at the hordes of dolls around the garden that currently staring at her in unison, expressing their master's displeasure in full force, and she quickly apologized the puppeteer before something unpleasant unleashed between both of them in front of two apprentices. "I'm sorry Alice, it's my master's order so I couldn't refuse."

"I know…" Alice replied, the dolls formation broken before each of them returned to their tasks of house care, while their master raise her hand up on her forehead as if what Ran said had caused her a headache, well, it has to be since the puppeteer knew that no matter what plan Yukari has hatched to screw them over, it'll never directly or indirectly harm her beloved Gensokyou, so at least their home is safe, at the expense of their own plan getting thrown out of the window. "Better get this over with… so what're you going to do?" She asked the cause of all their problems, albeit indirectly…

Ran smirked while looking at Homura with a glance that send shiver down the spine of a girl before answers. "I think I need to lend your power for a little bit since Sakuya will never be here… oh and on that subject…" her face turned serious before announce "You two should prepare yourself for battle, cleanse your soul gems since I'm going to fight you both!"

"Wait what?" Other girls at the table shout simultaneously. Ran then made a hand sign toward Alice and Marisa, signaling them that they need to discuss in private, away from the puella magi they taught, something that both magicians could only accepted, considered that they're not Ran's master and spell card rule do not applied here, fighting to get her to stop whatever Yukari has in store is not the brightest idea around, not to mentioned that it'll counterproductive their plan even further if done wrong.

Two of them asked their apprentices to prepare themselves, while they discussing plan with Ran in details…

* * *

Later on, Afternoon of the same day…

The sun shine its ray down a small alley in one of the many sections of the city of Mitakahara, lighting the grey wall, the drainage pipe running down from rooftop of the buildings surrounded it, the drainage on the concrete ground, and a group of middle school girls in strange dresses facing each other…

One of the girl, who wore a beret on her blonde hair which tied in a curly twin tails and white blouse with yellow-brown skirt lifting matchlock rifle by one hand pointing it at another girl roughly ten meters away, who tied her red hair into a big ponytail wearing sleeveless red shirt and pink short skirt with black stocking reaching her thigh and matching red shoes, an oval shaped gem on her chest glittered in the sunlight reflect it like the fire in her eyes, both hands holding a spear as tall as she was pointing it back at the matchlock rifle girl.

In the middle between the two, kneeling on the ground, is another girl with tomboyish short blue hair trying her best to stand up with a cutlass slamming down as a crutch despite the bruises and many minor injuries spotted all over her flesh that's not covered by her clothes. Clothes that look somehow like a blue breastplate on her chest over her sleeveless white blouse that leave her shoulder and arms bare if not for the white cape tied around her neck and detached blue sleeve covering from wrist to elbow, crescent moon shaped blue gem adorn her stomach over her short blue skirt that seems to be diagonally cut, white stocking reaching her knee and blue boots, all giving out the feeling of knight in shining armor despite the state she was currently in.

Another girl stood behind the blonde musket wielding girl, dressed in Mitakahara middle school clothes despite it's a holiday, is a girl of the same age as the one on the ground with pink hair with small twin tails behind her head, her pink eyes looking toward everyone, hands fidgeting nervously as if she couldn't decide how to break this standoff without resolved to violence, a violence that already injured her friend on the ground.

Meanwhile, a single white creature was looking impassively at the scene played out before him, from the safety behind the pink haired girl, his lip frozen still in a smile despite the situation is not one that should smile at all.

The tension between the two girls… no… three girls are at its limit, and it could turn into another fight at any moment, with only a push from words, or actions…

The blue knight girl rose on her feet once more, ground around her feet glowed a soft blue light, intricate pattern of circle forming around her, eyes glared at the red haired girls laced with anger and defiant while the bruises and injuries on her person slowly disappear.

"Hoh, still standing up?" The red haired girl quipped at the knight, before turned her spear at the defiant girl, however she had to quickly shift her spear to the right and intercept a bullet fired from the musket woman, deflected it toward the wall where it detonated harmlessly without damaging the surrounding.

"You should stop it right there, Kyoko-san…" The blonde musket woman spoke sadly, hands summon another musket while the last one dropped and disintegrated once it touched the ground. "I cannot allow you to harm my junior any more than this." Then she glanced toward the bystander, then the knight girl and apologized both of them. "I'm sorry Madoka, Sayaka, I never expected Kyoko to appear here, else I wouldn't let you two going off on your own like this."

"I... its fine, Mami-san…" The blue knight, Sayaka said, gritting her teeth in pain from the wounds that are not finished curing before speaking to Mami. "I hate to say this, but please let me beat her Mami-san! She's the disgrace of us, puella magi, far and wide, and I cannot stand that!"

"Oh, growing up some spine would ya?" Kyoko said while looks mockingly at the angry Sayaka, before her face turned serious. "But it'll take more than willpower to survive in this world little girl!"

Without any more words, Kyoko thrust forward, giant spear pointed at the knight who now picked the cutlass up holding it tightly with both hands, ready to clash with another fellow puella magi whom she saw strayed from the 'just causes' and need to be put down. While the musket girl aimed her matchlock at the red blur charging toward her junior but cannot fire since the distance between her friend and Kyoko is too close to comfortably snipe without risk harming Sayaka in the process.

However the strike never came, it was cut short when the attacker has to abandon her thrust mid-charge to dodge the series of water ball barrage aiming at the space between the two combatants, blowing a small hole on the concrete floor each time it hit demonstrated the kinetic power it could delivered should one happened to strike on human body, that's enough of a message to tell both of them to jumped away from the kill zone immediately.

A small 'tap' and 'cling' sound echo from the drainage on the floor next the wall near the kill zone, there, stood two women whom Sayaka, Mami, Madoka and Kyubey all too familiar with when they first met at the hospital, that short blonde haired woman in black business suit slowly handling purple haired girl a little smaller than herself in purple pajama down the ground as if they just landed from a higher vantage point.

The girl in pajama was the only one who hogs all their attention and it was Sayaka who called out to them frantically, her eyes darting between the girl and Kyoko now filled with worries, enough to forget who just saved her from that attack earlier. "Patchouli!? What are you doing here? It's dangerous!"

"What? Another fool contracted with Kyubey huh?" Kyoko looked at Patchouli with disdain, thinking that Mami had grown too soft than what she already anticipated, but she shoved that thought aside and point her spear threateningly at the newcomer. "Never mind, bring it on rookies!"

"Leave her out of this! She's not puella magi!" Sayaka quickly dashed in, cutlass slashed from the side of Kyoko forcing the redhead to whipped her spear back and slammed against the edge of blade, locking both combatants into battle once more.

Despite the battle took place too close to comfort, the two newcomers didn't moved a single step from their position, Ran tapping her foot while laid back against the wall, whistling. And Patchouli, slowly pulling out a book from her robe, and started reading, as if the two puella magi battling each other next to them hold no concern in their mind.

Madoka's eyes widen and shocked at the display of careless attitude from the adults, mouth opened and closed without a single word slipped out. Mami on the other hand, narrowed her eyes looking at the businesswoman suspiciously; a feeling of dread washed over her like a wave of cold wind surged from the woman's body, as if the businesswoman was leaking killing intent not just toward her, but all puella magi gathered here, heck, from her eye, even Madoka now felt uneasy and unconsciously take one step back away from them!

Something was up, and Mami has a feeling that she will not like it.

Suddenly, the businesswoman sprang up, before turning into a black blur that slammed right straight at the two battling puella magi, easily separated them from each other and sent them rolling on the floor, weapons clattered harmlessly on the ground away from their hand.

"Damn it!" Kyoko cursed while trying to pick herself up, aching all over her body as if she ran into a freight train moving at high speed, but still, it need more than that to put down puella magi like her. "What the hell you think you are? Pick a fight with some superpower girl? Don't think I'll listen to those crap about children should listen to you adult! You hurt me and you gonna pay!"

Sayaka stunned at the acts of her savior, well, it's more like she was shocked at how the woman's surprise attack managed to knock two of them, each having supernatural body enchanted by mystical power to withstand normal human's blow without flinching, down to the ground in single strike. But the war cries from her adversaries quickly snapped Sayaka back to reality in time to see the enraged redhead lashed her spear out at the businesswoman, spear pole split into sections connected to each other with metallic black chains arching all around the place before it tighten around the two bystander like a snake trying to wrap itself around its preys.

"Ran-san, watch out!" Sayaka shouted out of her lung while trying to move herself up to help the innocents, while Mami was too, shocked at the turn of event that she never expect to do anything.

However her effort proved unnecessary when both of them vanished from the steel grips of chain-spear, let it crashed against each other in a deafening loud noise, before reappearing next to Mami, along with another newcomer, this time, it was someone who they're not expecting at all…

"Homura… chan?" Madoka whispered in surprise at the appearance of the dark haired mysterious enigma of a puella magi, on one hand she was glad that at least this girl didn't leaved bystander in danger, but on the other, that cold expression on her face when she glanced at the battlefield… it's troubling… and Sayaka's glaring at her with disdain didn't help improve the situation either.

The girl herself, however, sparing a glance is all the attention she paid to others before turning to looks at the blonde businesswoman and nodded once, and the woman answers her gesture.

"I assumed that you completed what I asked for, else you won't show up here right?" It was a statement, not a question from the tone Ran's using, however that's what made all combatants there realized that something must really off on top of the unknown menacing aura unlike the witches they fought leaking out of the woman herself constantly up until now.

Mami slowly back away from the scene, trying to shield Madoka behind her back from anything the three newcomers would do, Sayaka standing still, don't understand one bits of what's happening to this stern but well-intention woman she saw at the hospital, Kyoko stiffen, forgotten what she was doing altogether and slowly backing away like Mami. The only being who remained impassive and calm this whole time was Kyubey, he stare curiously at the woman whom he sensed the strange magical power came from but still unsure what it is.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light engulfed the entire alleyway, blinding all who stand, and once the light died down and everyone opened their eyes once more, they found themselves in a completely new place that every single one of them never been there before… except Kyubey and Homura of course…

They're now transported to the garden of Mikuni's household…

"Wh… what's this place!? Where are we?" Madoka looked around in fear, slowly moved next to Mami who also eyeing the new landscape before her in surprise, rifle dropped from her hand, even Sayaka and Kyoko also looked genuinely surprised.

But their surprise at the sudden transportation turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg when the girl in purple pajama speaks to the dark haired puella magi in admiration.

"It seems the geomagnetic teleportation was a success, but without your power it would be impossible to do so in such a short time, you have my thanks Homura."

Homura however, not looked happy in the slightest, she scowled at the magician… no… at Ran who grinning menacingly without anyone paying attention, before looking at the ragtag bunch of puella magi and the accursed creature who gathered at their base's doorstep, knowing that in any minute now that they'll face a threat far greater than anything they'll ever seen in their life san Walpurgisnacht, and she was uncertain that they'll be able to pushed through.

And speaks of the devil, another puella magi rushed out of the house toward them in white dress and a hat that looked more like those that bishop in clergy would wear, her long grey hair billowing behind, and to Homura's surprise, Kyoko has a look of recognition the moment she turned toward the source of footstep before asking out loud. "Huh, you on the other day?"

"What's happening here? What are you all doing here in my house?" Oriko shouted back while running, and from the second floor, there're two figures peeking out of the windows looking at the intruders, the two people whom everyone present there recognized instantly.

Marisa and Alice hiding behind window inside the house looking at the group with anticipation, after all, their parts in the plan already completed, and all that left… is watching the firework… at Homura and Oriko's expense of course.

The redhead prepare to retorts Oriko, but her words died in her mouth when the atmosphere suddenly shifted to oppressiveness, killing intent leaking from one spot where Homura once was…

"I grow tired of your stupid, childish argument and nonsense ideologies." Ran stated, her yellow eyes seems to glowed with power while slowly looked at each and every puella magi presence, sending a shiver down their spine as if they're in the presence of something with terrible power, shut them up and forced them to standing still, listen to her speech. "I thought that you all will realized and grew up after those commotions, but not at all, you still chased after something that no girls of your age should do… thinking that you're invincible heroes despite all you have are just little compared to what you lost, did my advice had fallen on deaf ears?"

"Ran… san?" Madoka stuttered, terrified at the businesswoman without any rhyme or reason. Mami stood her ground next to the schoolgirl, rifle in hands but didn't aim at anyone, eyeing Ran fearfully. Sayaka get on her feet, looking uncertainty at Ran, then at Patchouli who used the opportunity to back away from the soon to be battleground and just reach the front door of the manor to apparent safety before she summoned more cutlass from her cape and clutched one in hand tightly. And finally Oriko and Homura who didn't draw their weapons yet, but the stance they took and the frown on their faces clearly indicated that they too, sense something was off and now prepare for the worst. Just that no one knew that the two was pretended the whole things to get along and avoiding suspicion from Kyubey who now sat on Madoka shoulder looking at the scene with interest.

However, certain redhead seems offended by Ran's word, her hands clutched her weapon tightly and pointing at businesswoman who stood a few meters away threateningly. "Don't you dare speaks like you know everything about puella magi, Missy!" She snarled. "I know you just help that girl…" she gesture toward Homura "Cast whatever magic to brought us here! But that's just it, you know nothing! You're just the weakest on in the food chain of witches and puella magi, so don't talk big like you have authority over us!"

Kyoko and everyone sans Oriko and Homura surprised, when Ran chuckled at rants from the redhead instead of scolding. "Oh well, this's funny…" She crossed her arms looks straight to meet Kyoko's stare heads on, forcing the girl to averted her gaze due to sheer menace she projected. "… You're just middle school girl yet claimed to have more experience, saw the world more than what I saw… how arrogant…"

At that word, a dark aura slowly takes form around the businesswoman turning into a black cloud engulfed her entire frame from other's view, causing panic among the puella magi. Except Oriko and Homura, the former get drilled enough from her mentors that panicking is the fastest way to afterlife while the latter haven't lived past the countless loop of hell on earth by sheer luck, took up defensive stance, weapon on hands, shield brought to bear, ready to fight.

Less than 30 seconds the smoke cleared away, revealing the blonde woman once more in a form that made nearly everyone in the garden drops their jaws in shock and pure terror.

In front of them, standing tall and proud like a man despite the black business suit she always wore in front of everyone was gone, replaced by a white plain dress reaching down her ankle and long large sleeves to her waists and blue prints with strange symbol along her front, her neck-length blonde hair now covered with white hat with two pointy edges as if there're fox ears inside, along with numerous talisman littered the surface, but the most eyes-catching feature of all, was the large-fluffy nine white-tipped yellow fox tails at her back waving through the whirlwind surrounding her announcing her true form to everyone…

Ran then address the terrified puella magi in low voice no more than whisper, her yellow eyes which gained a slit like those of cats glancing at Kyoko who still pointing her spear at her, causing the redhead to take one step back instinctively. "I saw the day Sengoku Jidai ended…" She moved forward, showing fox-like feet instead of human feet each time she stepped, while each puella magi, who now grouped relatively together on the same side opposite of Ran and in front of the manor, glanced warily at her and step backward to maintain distance. "… I saw the day Samurai abolished from this country…"

Sayaka gulped, looking at Madoka who stayed behind Ran standing near the fence with Kyubey staring at nine-tailed fox with wide eyes, but Ran didn't care and simply ignore her while continue to steps toward them. "… I saw the mushroom clouds that brought millions to their death and the end of the great Pacific War…"

She then look at Mami who now shakily aiming her matchlock at her. "Now, am I too inexperience to tell you all that your resolves, ideals and ways of life are too naïve and will wrought doom upon yourself?" Her eyes glance at the blue haired knight who held cutlass with two hands facing her. "Am I wrong that your thoughts was too shallow and never think things thoroughly? And you…" She laid her eyes on Kyoko. "If you truly believed that human are mere cattle for your selfish gain, then I pity your lacks of resolves when you took up this contract!"

Kyoko burst out in anger at those words. "You dare!" with a battle roars, she leapt forward, spear held high overhead before slashing down on the nine-tailed fox who stood still, not moving an inch.

But the blow never land, with a wave of hand, the wind around Ran pick up speeds and ferocity of a hurricane slamming against the airborne puella, hurling her a good ten meters back toward the others, crashed on the ground hard, devastated one rose plot in the process.

"Gave in to your anger, despite each other, pathetic teamwork, zero trust toward fellow comrades…" Ran spats out their flaws one by one, looking at the bruised redhead who used her spear as a crutch to get up. "If this's really puella magi's true nature, even a dozen more of you won't stand a chance against anything on this world."

Sayaka gritted her teeth, clenching her cutlass tighter, before retorted back at Ran. "You're just a fox! How well could you understand human like us? You never saw our true resolves to fight! I and Mami won't lose to that witch!"

"That's too harsh of an accusation, Miss Ran…" Mami argued calmly, glancing at Sayaka then her old comrade, Kyoko, telling them to stop retorting back at Ran with anger which serves nothing but made the situation worse, forgetting to looked at another two puella there who has yet to speak a single word since these entire ordeal started, thus failed to noticed the clue about their involvement in this incident entirely. "We'll fight the Walpurgisnacht, and with our combined strength, I have confidence that we'll win."

Ran looked at the puella magi with eyes that seemed to pierce their souls, and then chuckled before replies. "Your words mean nothing but a hot air escaping your mouth…"

Those words sparked more anger among the puella magi further, but their words died in their mouth when the nine-tailed fox quickly took fighting stance, wolf-like sharp claws grew from all her fingers, and then declared. **"Actions speak more than words, if you all truly believed that you could fight Walpurgisnacht, then you must defeat me first! En Garde!"**

Ran feet dug into the ground, then, with a thrust that leave a footprint crater behind, launched herself toward the assembled puella magi, the battle against the ancient being that they never before seen has commenced!

* * *

**Author Note:**

Sorry for the delay, but I really tried to think how the story should process, and thus we have** 'Yukari was fooling around again**' as an excuse to start an epic fight (or is it?) for you to read, heh, heh.

Hope this chapter didn't sound too lame when Ran does a 180 turn on puella magi, oh well, we have **'Yukari's excuse'** anyway.

naset0: Trust me, I'm trying to improve my grammar, but it'll be a long road to go.

Next Chapter, the battle against Extra Stage boss! Hope that I can portrayed the fighting well enough for your taste next time…

PS. Now the chapter title has taken a new pattern, a few chapters later and you might get a clue what it was.


	12. Chapter 11 Hoist the Sword with

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 11: Hoist the Sword with Pride in Heart**

The rose garden in front of Mikuni household under the gaze of afternoon sun now became a battlefield between supernatural entities, or technically, between supernatural entity and human…

Ran's attack was sudden, quick and lightning fast which catches the puella magi off-guarded, before anyone know what's going on, the nine-tailed fox was already next to Sayaka Miki who stood at the front, eyes widen in shock, cutlass in hand still pointed to the ground, before the sharp claw that swiped down on her face at lightning speed.

All the sudden, one hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling Sayaka away from the claws in time by just a single inch, but when the first strike missed, Ran quickly follow up with another claw aimed right at Sayaka's outstretched right arm due to the weight of cutlass.

But the opportunity to inflict injury on the knight was denied by a single hand, which has blue marbles held between fingers, thrust forward to intercept her claw with a deafening 'clang' sound like metal clashing against metal when her fingernails hit the marbles, stopped in her track.

Oriko, the one who denied Ran her first blood, now stand before the nine-tailed fox didn't waste her time, another hand let go of Sayaka, let the girl stumbled backward and crashed to the ground due to momentum and the lacks of action from herself, summoned more marbles on the now free hand then throw them point-blank range at Ran, the same time that nine-tails disengaged her claw from a deadlock with her other hand and quickly dodge the projectiles.

The grey haired puella then shout toward her fellow. "Stop standing still like an idiot and start fighting! I…" her words cut short once Ran who regained her footing quickly shot dozens of throwing knives from her sleeve at her, forcing Oriko to jump and backflip in mid-air to avoid them, then retaliated with her own projectiles while she's slowly dropping back to the ground.

While Ran focused on dodging Oriko's attack, Homura appeared behind the nine-tailed in a blink of an eye, hesitating for a millisecond, the puella decided that she didn't wanted to use firearms here which will also give away the true nature of her wish to Incubator on top of wasting precious arsenal that should be used against Walpurgisnacht instead, thus she quickly threw a magical reinforced punch aimed right at the back of nine-tailed fox, trying to strike while her fellow distracted her.

But it was futile since Ran already expecting this, one of her foot shot backward, grabbing Homura's unprotected leg at the knee before she spun in place, throwing Homura off-balance forcing her punch to missed, then swung her around using one foot before released the grips and hurling her up in the air toward the descending Oriko at high speed!

"Watch out!" Homura yelled once she figured out that she couldn't activate her time stop in time before impact, causing Oriko to abandon her attack, dropped her marbles before spun in mid-air stretching her arms to catch Homura which forced them both to land on the ground… hard…

Without waiting for plume of dust created by the two girls' violently landing to settle, Ran rushed toward her original target yet again, however the knight girl is now prepared, albeit reluctantly and a little confused, and rise her sword to meet one of her claw swinging down on her delivered enough force that the ground Sayaka stood on cracked and her feet sunk nearly to her ankle!

Sayaka gritted her teeth, tried her best to push the deadly claw of the nine-tailed fox back, but Ran herself didn't wanted to be struck in this deadlock for long, she opened her other free palm, a magical circle with ancient inscription appeared instantly, glowing soft white before release a gout of white flame point-blank range at the unprotected side of Sayaka, blowing her a good few meters away before finally landed on another flower bed, shredding any plants in her path.

A loud gunfire crackled through the air, a single yellow glowing bullet pierced through the woman's chest before she could react to it! However the shooter who stood nearly two dozen meters away discarding another matchlock while summoning the next one on hands to take aim, frowned once she looked along the barrel toward the fox, as there's no blood oozing out from the hole that her bullet tore through at all, instead, the nine-tailed fox lady's body suddenly turned into smoke and vanished within seconds!

At that moment, Mami heard a footstep behind her, and before she could do anything, a searing pain erupted from her stomach when she tried to turned toward the source, along with the momentum to send her rolling on the ground a few meters away, looking back she found Ran standing, drew her claw back, before taken off elsewhere while Mami scramble to pick herself up, direct her magic healing the bruise at the ribcage at the slow pace unlike Sayaka who already on her feet and rushed toward her to help.

"Mami-sempai, are you alright?" She knelt down next to her senior, blue eyes showed her worries in full, cutlass stabbed into the ground nearby to free her hands for help putting Mami back up on her feet and another to heal her. The older girl winced at the pain on the spot Ran hit her earlier and not yet fully healed by her magic, seems that even a simple punch is not something that a magical girl can scoff at either… especially when it came from a nine-tailed fox that is.

Mami clutched her side, trying to breathe slowly, easing her pain, before answers. "I'm fine, but your soul gem…" She trailed off, looking straight at Sayaka's crescent shaped blue gem, which now darken more than one-third of it already from healing both of them, and from the fight against Kyoko earlier, further proved that Ran is no pushover at all even she didn't used any magic yet.

"I know Mami-sempai…" Sayaka replied, pulling her cutlass off the ground and turned to face the source of fighting noise, which she found Oriko and Homura fighting against Ran in close combat… and failed miserably to do any harm to the nine-tailed fox, well, the reason they failed may addressed to that they are already at their limit trying to keep themselves from taking any more injuries, abandon their attack mid-strike to dodge incoming claws swipe, kick, elbow, etc. that Ran threw at them without hesitation.

When looking past them however, the blue haired knight clenched her fist in rage when she saw a red blur moving toward the fence, apparently just break off from Ran's pursuit thanks to intervention from Homura and Oriko, but instead of helping them she fled like a coward!

"She's running away!?" Sayaka exclaimed feeling disgust at the redhead puella's action of abandon her savers without a single word of 'thanks' and tried to flee toward the street outside. (Well, even if she indeed spoke it, she won't heard her from this distance anyway.) She moved, thinking only trying to follow the redhead and punish her for her action, but was halt by a single hand placed on her shoulder… hand of her senior…

"I shared your sentiment, Sayaka, but we don't have time… we must help them first…" Mami pointed her rifle at the battling group, and fire lines of yellow ribbons out of barrel streaking toward the distracted fox lady. Homura and Oriko apparently see this attack coming so they jumped out of the way, but once the ribbon circled around Ran completely, all they caught… was a smoke…

"What!? Illusion?" Sayaka's jaw dropped like a fool, before quickly raise her cutlass and turn her back toward Mami who also raise her new rifle aiming around, covering each other's back, prepare to intercept any attack attempt from Ran, from the crosshair of her rifle, Mami saw that Oriko and Homura also did the same.

However, the 'attack' from Ran this time, was something they didn't expect at all…

* * *

Sakura Kyoko finally able to break off from the nine-tailed fox lady's relentless assault after those two puella magi flank the damn fox forcing her to reverted attention toward immediate threats. How convenient, at last she could get away from this _'unprofitable fight that there's no grief seed to harvest.'_ and resume hunting some witches for grief seeds elsewhere, and considered that now Mami, that knight brat, that flying white girl and that teleporting dark haired girl, basically every single puella magi in Mitakahara and Kasamino, now busy fighting the legendary beast, she don't doubt that by the end of the day, she will be the sole remain puella magi in two cities, provided that Kyubey didn't find someone to contract and the nine-tailed fox is as strong as the legend says of course!

If it was during earlier days where Kyoko still an innocent child, she wouldn't move an inch at all due to the shock and panic of seeing legendary beast in flesh before her eyes, but now, even the fox isn't the abomination she fights for living, the drills of what to do when facing hostile still the same and that's what made her able to blocked that insanely fast attack the kitsune threw at her until those puella magi came in and took her place on the damn fox lady's hit list.

Still, Kyoko cursed herself while still running for not noticed the use of magic that transport them here before it activated, glancing at her soul gem adorn her chest, seeing it darken a little at the bottom around one-tenth is an eyesore, although she had averted the worst of the attacks by sheer experience and luck, but Ran still managed to land a number of glancing blows on her, evidenced by a deep slash mark on her bare arm, abdomen and her cheek that are slowly disappearing due to self-healing power of puella magi, but that also sped up the corruption of her soul gem too, not to mentioned that those attack HURT a lot.

If these're just a glancing blow, Kyoko doesn't want to think about how much pain a 'direct hit' will do to her even with this sturdy body it still hurt. Well, it's a matter of another time. She must quickly retreat from here when the opportunity still present! At least, she has a stockpile of grief seeds back home to…

She quickly summoned her spear and stopped running, spun in place to brought the spear to bear, a loud metal-clashing noise crackles when the blade at the tip met a razor sharp claw of the fox lady who somehow able to broke off from those rag-tag bunch of puella magi. But wait, when she looked again, they were fooled by an illusion! Great… as expected from the trickster creature like kitsune, she thought irritatingly.

However, there's no time for thought or distraction, Kyoko instinctively twisted herself to the side, avoiding another claw swipe, then she detached her spear from Ran before slamming it into the ground use it to thrust upward and leapt away, reattach her spear back before Ran could slashed it and made a way over the fence, toward the street next to them so she could escape from this slugfest…

And rammed straight into an invisible solid wall that somehow stretched from the fence itself separating the manor from the street outside…

Without wasting opportunity, Ran jumped up, grabbed the stunned puella's leg with her claw before the gravity could drags her down to earth, then spinning in mid-air and toss the still dazed girl right back at the musket wielding girl and the knight at breakneck speed before slamming into unprepared puella magi, knocking them all down on the ground.

"Shameful Display… Sakura Kyoko… abandons your comrades like that…" Ran snorts at the redhead, who tried to free herself from the heap that is her former comrade and a knight, ignore Oriko and Homura who slowly circling around, try to position themselves to have Ran encircled with Mami's group facing her while they hit Ran from behind. "…I hated to admitted, but do you truly think that I will let one of you escape from here **So Easily**?"

Ran glanced around, arms crossed behind her back, allowing the puella magi to get up and recover without fear of her attack, in physical harm that is, but that's not including verbal beat down of course, which she's going to abused it like no tomorrow now.

"There's a barrier around this manor…" Ran spoke softly, as if she was making a statement and not trying to harm the girls, however the context is a different story. "… It'll prevent anyone… or anything…" She glared at Kyubey who stood beside Madoka at the right side for a brief moment before shifting her sight back to the puella who took this change to cleanse their soul gems using their own stockpiles of grief seeds, except Sayaka who seemed to relied on Mami's one, or is it just that she gave all the seeds to her senior? Ran didn't know and didn't care. "…from escaping me, until this battle ends, no one will interfere, no one will run away from me…"

Kyoko, whose soul gem cleansed stood up, pointed her spear challengingly at the nine-tailed, Mami right behind her aiming her matchlock, and lastly Sayaka stands beside Mami with her cutlass, however, before the latter two could do anything or formulated a plan, the redhead suddenly charged toward Ran swinging her spear which break into multiple section lashing out at the fox lady from every directions at high speed with a cries of anger "Don't you dare underestimate me!"

The logic for this confidence is not unfounded; Kyoko now assumed from what she observed that the fox didn't used any of its magic due to maintaining the invisible wall to trapped them here, so unlike the earlier fight that she was too wary of the fox magic and cannot risk a movement that'll left her opened to magic attack and get hit by those claws, she can now go all out without fear of its magic. And another reason for not waiting for other to join up or helping her is, if she displayed her power by beating this fox lady alone, well, she could just chased them out by pointing that they're not powerful enough to face her as well, killing two birds in one stone…

Unfortunately, her assumption about barrier was just partially corrected, they'll be free the moment Ran defeated yes, but the wrong part however, was that the one supporting the barrier is not Ran, and the only reason that the fox lady has yet to use magic against them is that** she was toying with them** and see no need to use them!

And so she paid the price of underestimating Ran dearly when Ran snorts and pointed one finger out at the circulating segments of giant spear, a faint-yellow glow on her fingertip crackle with sparks before lashed out toward metal that linked the spear together, electron rushed along the segments trying to find the way out… the only place rooted to the ground… Kyoko…

A cried of pain echoed through the field when the redhead was electrocuted by a tiny thunder spell Ran casted from her fingertip, causing the flying spear segments to dropped to the ground when the user lost control and stopped supplying them with power, Kyoko herself dropped to her knee, trails of smoke rising from every parts of her shaking body.

"Underestimate you?" Ran used the opportunity to smite the girl verbally while others tried to reach the injured puella. "… No, I never underestimate anyone… **I just never miscalculate my opponent's strength before engaging with them and thus react accordingly**."

Kyoko seethed with anger at the underlying message Ran sent to her that she's weak! Tried to push herself up to wipe that smirk off the fox lady, only to have a hand pressed against her shoulder, which happened to be her old comrade, Mami, who shook her head then asks sternly. "Sakura Kyoko, I asked you, as an old comrade, could you please cooperate with everyone else here?"

"Why the hell you asked me that!" She retorted back, pushing Mami's hand aside and leapt up on her feet in a single bound. "I'm wasting my energy fighting this damn fox already! And I'm going to make sure that I can beat it so you gals better not get in my way!"

Mami opened her mouth to replies, but had to quickly raise her rifle and shot multiple golden threads crisscrossing into a barrier next to the redhead to block incoming energy projectiles barrage that Ran sent their way, second later, an explosion shook the ground they stand, cracks forming on the ground as if it threaten to give away and turned into a giant hole to consume them all, while the ribbon that protected them itself was started to tattered, multiple small holes appearing on them at alarming rate and the explosion sound didn't cease in the slightest.

The senior puella magi of Mitakahara winced, pressed more magical power into the barrier separating them from being vaporized by the onslaught, while yelling at her junior. "Heal Kyoko quickly, Sayaka" She ordered, then turned toward her former comrade and asks sternly "And Kyoko, if we don't help each other and fight together, I doubt we'll stand a chance!"

Sayaka reluctantly nodded and quickly create a healing magical circle on the ground where Kyoko currently stand, blue light illuminating the redhead who huffed at the knight girl but decided to looked the other way while Sayaka did the same, after all, she get a free healing from her instead of wasting her magic to heal herself, the beat down on this girl can wait for later, provided they all survived Ran, of course.

Mami gritted her teeth when she felt that her magic started to weaken due to continuous usage, but she muster what she had and shot another threads to sewn off the hole before some energy shots can get through, before slumped down on her knee, golden eyes looks warily at the barrier she projected and listen to the pounding on the other side, then she took out another grief seed and started purify her half-darken soul gem, better safe than sorry, or run out of magic in a pitch of battle after all.

Then, a few seconds later, while she quickly put the grief seed back into her pocket, gem adorn her beret brighten once more, the explosion stopped. She let out a sigh of relieve, because the barrier now tattered even more than before that she feared that if she cleanse her soul gem a second late, she wouldn't have enough time to prevent a breakthrough, but when she prepare to reinforce it, another voice from behind nearly send her into a heart attack…

"Oh, looks like your barrier is falling apart… Shall I help you fix it… a little…" A soft, mocking speech from none other than Ran reached all three puella's ears, and it came from behind them! As quickly as Kyoko was, she still not fast enough when she felt sharp pain at her side and a force of a freight train sending her flying to and slammed on the ribbon barrier before she could get her spear to bear on Ran who seemingly appeared out of nowhere, without footstep, without noise to alert them until she attacked at all!

Sayaka didn't fared better than the redhead, her retaliation with cutlass in her hands was met with another sharp claw intercepted it just before reaching the fox-lady's face. Ran bared her fang as she smiled and used one of her foot to kicked the knight at her breastplate sending the girl spinning and crashed into Kyoko who's stuck to the ribbon wall, made them collapsed into a heap on the ground while the ribbon barrier disintegrated when Ran sent Mami flying last.

However, Ran unable to take the opportunity to finish them off while the three puella still dazing, as she has to spun in place and dodge the roundhouse kick from Homura who used her time stop to rushed close to her, but even the attack failed to connected Ran still cannot exact retribution on the dark haired puella who 'teleport' away and let Oriko that appeared from another angle tried to punch her!

Once her claw blocked Oriko's fist however, instead of seeing it bleeding red liquid from the sharp fingernail piercing puella's hand, Ran saw that Oriko held her magic marbles between her fingers to acts as a makeshift blades that accurately intercepted every fingernails without any of it hitting her flesh at all!

"Clever, using your projectiles like that, I have to admit…" Ran commented on her while two of them still in deadlock, trying to push against each other, the marbles' surface started to crack while Ran's another hand fend off Homura's attempt to help Oriko without looking at the attacker at all! "…A risky maneuver too, if you slipped up or miscalculated even by a millimeter, my finger would tear your hand apart!"

At that word, two of them broke apart, Oriko threw her cracked marbles at Ran while the fox-lady somersault using her hands and launched herself up in the air, letting Sayaka who tried to charge at her from behind slipped up, blade pointed at fellow puella! This made the blue knight's eyes widen in surprise, her leg slipped up thrusting herself forward, too fast to stop!

But Oriko wasn't just any new meat by any means, she was taught by three magicians who prided themselves in gaining their abilities through 'the hard way' and thus trained herself hard since she became their apprentice, enough that even with this sudden development of this situation, she didn't stand idly gawking at her own inevitable doom more than a fraction of seconds.

So she jumped to the side, but did not forget to grab Sayaka by her hand as she was about to flew passed by her side and saved her from crashing into the lamppost.

"Er, thanks…" Sayaka muttered, while trying to right herself on her feet again.

But Oriko didn't pay attention to her, a loud, and multiple gunfire echoed throughout the garden heralding the attack from the musket wielding puella, who used the opportunity that Homura and Oriko provided to summon hundreds of matchlock rifle pointing in general direction of the fox lady who still flying through the air a good twenty meters from the ground and fired when she was in the crosshair.

And despite the sheer volume of projectiles and the speed of them, Ran did the impossible by flying at high speed, weaving between barrage without a scratch on her, hell, even a single fur didn't clipped from the widespread bullets at all! Before she emerged out of the cloud of bullets hovering ten meters off the ground, arms crossed looking at the puella magi assembled below.

Mami's jaw dropped in shock, rifle dropped from her hands clattered on the ground, Kyoko growled in irritation that her target has retreated out of her spear's reach, well, not really, it's more along the line of _'If that many bullets cannot catch her, why I should waste my magic to jump up and try to do the same despite I don't have the number and speed of those bullets to catch her? Exercise in futility at its finest!'_ and thus contented to just level her spear up, prepare herself for the incoming attack.

Sayaka also brace herself for the onslaught, with Homura appeared out of thin air at her side and Oriko floating overhead, on the same level as Ran, facing their opponent… Ran… weapons readies in everyone's hands pointing toward the fox-lady.

Ran has to suppress a sigh while looking at the puella magi arrayed themselves against her, their determination when angered, or thrust into a fight for survival is quite admirable, too bad their mindset that made them the puella magi today, except Homura and Oriko, has to be tamed, adjusted, prepared, and humbled, else they would breaks long before the Walpurgisnacht come, or shattered beyond saving by the truth of the contracts they signed that has yet to be revealed.

The first step toward solution for this is simple, beat them to the ground so they cannot do anything but listen to what she, and the three magicians, has to say! Gensokyou style! Anything else come later depended on their reaction to the beat down, which could be handle later or rather, let those three handle it.

Once she made up her plan and didn't wanted to keep those girls waiting any longer she chuckled and commend them. "Very well, it seems I get rusty here…" Ran looked in amusement at every puella on the ground from the sky when dozens of magic circles of various colors and sizes started forming around her and made their faces paled in horror. "The time for game is over kids, **I, Ran Yakumo, Will knock you all down**!"

And then all hell breaks loose…

* * *

From the vantage point near the fence denoting the territory of Mikuni household, a pink haired middle schoolgirl stood shakily, trying her best not to let her legs gave up and slump down on the grassy ground while watching the onslaught her friends are fighting, eyes widen worriedly whenever one of her schoolmate, be it Sayaka, Mami, or even Homura getting hurt trying to fight the mythological beast that was their newfound friend, her mouth opened and shut without any noise came out, as if she wasn't sure how to stop them, or she just too afraid of Ran to do anything, or probably both.

To her right on the floor, Kyubey sat on all four, tail wagging around without any particular meaning, his crimson orbs gaze upon the battle without emotions, his cat smile plastered on his face as usual while his mind tried to make sense of the event transpired here, he knew that Ran has some sort of magical potential, but he never thought that she will achieved full control of them by herself without contract like this, evidenced by her claim and Kyoko slamming against invisible wall that was _her barrier_, not to mentioned that, from what he sensed, her power might be on par with Walpurgisnacht itself! Which is statistically impossible for him to miss such a person, let alone left they grew up to adulthood like this!

And then there's the matter about her power, now that she let loose he could felt that her power was… inhuman… not like any human at all… but not witches either. However, the most interesting fact is that somehow, her mere presences instill fear and terror upon all puella magi on the field, not just any puella magi, but even veteran like Mami and Kyoko also shared such expression while fighting her as if they're just newly contracted and get thrown into the fray first time, which shouldn't be possible!

Thus he inclined his head, turned toward Madoka, the only human that still with him, out of immediate danger since Ran seems contented herself to using only claws and feet to fight the puella in close combat at the moment before asking her._ 'Madoka, I don't understand one thing… would you kindly explain it to me?'_

The pink haired schoolgirl snapped out of her stupor and lowers herself toward him, before replies back no louder than a whisper, as if she feared that loud noise will attract the nine-tailed fox's attention. "What… is it Kyubey?"

Kyubey gesture his head toward the fox lady to make his point then asks. _'Why everyone is so afraid of the woman… Ran I mean, those look on their faces told me as such, but isn't she just another human? And I assured you that puella magi are superior to normal human in every way, especially regarding magic…'_

"No…" Madoka whisper, shaking her head violently that her hair is a mess. "She's not human at all…"

'_Pardon?'_

"She is… the legendary beast… not human… She's a nine tailed fox…"

Kyubey's eyes lingered on Ran's fluffy tails which just proved that it's not that much fluffy at all when it bashed Sayaka, who tried to ambush her from behind in the head sending the blue knight rolling on the ground clutching her bloodied forehead in pain, before addressed Madoka to emphasis his point once more. _'I failed to see what are you getting at Madoka, she's strong magically, I admitted because I sensed the power within her, but she shouldn't instill such fear into puella magi like that, they expressed their fear toward her the moment she sprouted those tails and has yet to do anything beyond that, why?'_

"You… never heard about the legend of nine-tailed fox do you?" Madoka asked worriedly.

Kyubey answered without a second thought. _'No, I'm all busy about these 'witches affair' the whole time, so I don't really have time to study human literature that much…' _ Well, it's technically true, but in truth, the incubator didn't really need to understand human that much, what beyond basic psychology understanding is considered a waste for them since it won't helped them make more contracts, or just not that significant enough to warrant attention and time to do so.

Then he asked back, ignores the loud explosion from giant hand cannons which Mami duel-wielded firing at the airborne Ran, and yes, it still missed despite the size of such projectiles and prompted Ran to return the favor with thousands magical knives bombarding her position to the point that dust cloud kicked up everywhere obscured the girl from view. _'But why did you ask?'_

Madoka slowly breathe, calming herself down while still spares a glance at the shadow of her friends who tried to dodge the barrage inside the cloud worriedly, then slowly telling what she know. "According to old legend and folklore, nine-tailed fox is considered one of the most powerful being on earth, if not one of the cleverest of all animals that achieved sentience, and thus very dangerous."

Kyubey however, found this explanation vague and lacking many aspects that would made Ran the terrifying being that puella magi couldn't take lightly as he saw, so he pressed further with interest. _'Could you elaborate more? And why you called her nine-tailed fox? She has a fox tails and claws yes, but her form still that of a human…'_

The pink haired girl nodded, then continues, again, tired her best to ignore the battle going behind, or Sayaka who tried to hit the now flying Ran via summoning and throwing swords continuously in vain, which, again, Ran dodged them all and exact retribution via an energy beam barrage from two magical circle appeared above her forcing the blue haired knight to dodge frantically. "It's capable of performing magic… one of the example… and the most well-known magic that nine-tailed fox possessed, is assume human form…"

Then she raised her hand to stopped Kyubey before he asks anything, as if she knows that it was coming. "…please let me finish, even normal fox could achieve what the nine-tailed are capable of, their magic is said to get stronger with their age…"

However what she have asked Kyubey to stay silent while she told him story apparently fall on deaf ear when he pestered her again. _'…So the older they are, the stronger they become, much like Walpurgisnacht or normal witches that survived long enough to devour more human souls, but they shouldn't know how strong she really was… unless…'_ He then turned back toward battlefield, eyes fixated on the many tails at Ran's back while the owner busy slashing and fencing against Oriko in close combat, mid-air tried to keep her busy while everyone else on the ground tried to recover from the attack earlier.

Madoka took that as a sign that Kyubey started to get the bigger picture, she then elaborated "At first, nine-tailed fox was born as a normal fox we saw every day, just have a potential to use magic. As it gets older, specifically every one hundred year of their life, they gained one additional tails until they stopped growing more tails when it reached nine…" She paused a little. "That means Miss Ran is **No Less** **than eight hundred years old now**, the magical power she possessed is far stronger than any creature on earth, or at least, she's at the top of the ladder."

'_I see, this indeed troubling… it will be hard-pressed to defeat something that old… in fact, I think the only way for any puella magi to beat her was through sheer luck that's statistically improbable… unlike Walpurgisnacht…'_ Kyubey replied worriedly even he didn't shown it in his voice, but now he really meant it, if the creature really indeed lived for eight centuries, none of the puella magi he contracted, or will contract in the future, will ever matched her, considered that they all die… or turned into witches when still young, thus do not accumulated enough experiences to fight opponent of this caliber, the same reason why Walpurgisnacht was so terrifying to deal with.

However, now, as he witnessed the futile attempt from puella magi on the ground to provided fire support for only puella who could fly and dogfight against the legendary beast in the air, he saw Ran as a bigger threat than the Walpurgisnacht itself, because even the mega-witch has tremendous power to destroy an entire city, it didn't possessed the human-level intelligence! In fact, if the display of her power was any indication, he was quite sure that any nine-tailed fox out there (if there was any, since he never encountered one, up until now.) should be able to singlehandedly wipe out Walpurgisnacht by their own power alone without the need of his contract at all.

'_Not to mentioned that the raw power she possessed are on par with the Walpurgisnacht itself.'_ He added mentally. And he must admitted, that what Ran boasted before fighting them is not an empty words at all, she spoke the truth, Walpurgisnacht would be a cakewalk compared to her! Provided his puella magi can beat her that is.

Lucky for him, or rather, for his kind's operation, that nine-tailed fox is rare to find, or at least, not involved themselves in human affair (It has to be, else he would've discovered them long ago, which led to another troubling facts, they concealed their magic really well.), else human might just relies on this creature to fend off witches already. In fact, the way Ran was hostile to his puella magi could be used as an opportunity to persuade Madoka to made the contract!

But he has to choose his words carefully to advice the girl about a wish, wishing for fighting to stop? It's well and good. But wished for Ran to obey Madoka as her master? He wasn't sure that it'll work. Creature with power and intelligence of this magnitude might be able to resist it. But of course, this was his best shot at getting Madoka's to contract with him, and if it does work, it'll prevent any attempt to interfere with puella magi, moreover, he can persuade Madoka to order Ran to contract with him too, this much energy was too much to pass up.

Of course there still option for asking Ran to contract with him directly instead of proxy via Madoka, but it'll most likely backfire since he don't understand fox's psychology, let alone one that lived for eight centuries and perhaps more. Not to mention her experience will make her ask him too many details about contracts, and likely the sensitive one like true nature of the witch and soul gem! Guarantee that she won't fall for it.

And thus, the little contractor wait for the chance to nudge the girl into contract with him, shouldn't be long when her friends are now helplessly getting pummeled by that nine-tails at the moment, and the look Madoka's face is quite assuring that she began to weaver, muttering quietly somewhere along the line of 'Please, stop.' repeatedly, without any mean to actually stop them.

Speaking of puella magi, Kyubey turned to the battlefield, the only two people who has a semblance of good teamwork AND skills to fight Ran, from his observation, was only Oriko and Homura, when one was in danger of getting hit, another will swoop in to and pushed each other out of harm, or rushed meet Ran head on to distracted her from lining up a kill shot on the trapped comrades.

But unfortunately, the same can't be said about their offensive on the fox lady, but Kyubey can hardly blame them, the lack of experience is already hindered them enough against such ancient being, but the other three puella magi, particularly Sayaka and Kyoko, who still holding grudge against each other too much to cooperate keep getting in each other ways when trying to jumped up to land a strike at Ran, and would be easy picking for her overwhelming barrage of magic had those two puella magi didn't get out of their way to bailed their sorry butts out, via 'flight' or 'teleportation', completely abandoned their attacks in the process.

Mami was another one who was holding her own quite well, trying her best to matched Ran's barrage, she sadly cannot put up enough guns to shoot down all the projectiles Ran continuously producing and shooting everywhere, and to make matter worse, she had to stop her barrage from time to time to avoid friendly firing when Kyoko or Sayaka get in the way without the two knowing it, another shots of horrible teamwork those two displayed.

And so the opportunity opened up for him when Madoka, who distressed from seeing Sayaka launched up in the air, cutlass in hand trying to slash at Ran's undefended back when the latter struck in a deadlock against Oriko, forgetting about her tails, which promptly blocked said slash and smash her down to the ground hard enough that another crater formed, turned toward Kyubey and asked. "Kyubey, can you do something? Can you help stop this nonsense fighting?"

The creature inclined his head, looking straight at teary pink eyes of Madoka as if to hypnotize her or something then replies. _'I've no combat power to stop them as I am now Madoka, and you cannot get into there to stop them either, look at those collateral damage around here…' _he gestured toward various holes, craters and wrecked flower beds that was once a beautiful rose garden of Mikuni household to make his point. _'If you tried to get in, you'll be dead long before any of combatants realized it… if any of them do not wanted to stop, then I can't do anything either'_

Seeing the girl's face faltered, Kyubey decided to push his luck. _'But, if you really wanted to stop Ran, there is one way... only puella magi can get in between them, if you wanted to stop them, you must become puella magi and join the fight, or use a wish to subjugate Ran under your control.'_

Madoka looked back at the battlefield hesitantly, and winced at the sight of red-barrier that Kyoko created failed to protect herself from the never ending barrages, forcing the spear wielding redhead to hastily used her extended chain-spear whirling around herself to defend the attack to no avails when there're too much projectiles, each has the power of a small bomb detonated against the weapon repeatedly until one section broke, follow by the next and the one after that until her weapon was wrecked and the projectiles slammed against her body and surrounding ground in full force, kicking dusts and dirt everywhere.

When Madoka looked forward, she also found that her friends, her senior, her new transfer student and the owner of this house are all in bad shape compared to Ran. Mami now tried her best to snipe Ran while dodging a deadly barrage sending her way from time to time, Sayaka switch back and forth between summoning throwing swords and make a mad dash-jump to attack Ran in melee, not that it do her any good when hundreds of Mami's shot passed and has yet to land a single hit on her.

Although Homura and Oriko came off far better than anyone else, they still have some bruise and sweat on their persons, while Ran doesn't even shed a sweat since the fighting started, not a single hair has been clipped! She was basically unharmed at this point and more than likely to keep being that way until all puella magi in this barrier are crushed, unless some new factor intervene and tipped the scale into her friends' favor…

Her factor…

Thus she knelt down next to the white creature that was staring at her, wagging his tail in expectation, her mouth opened and closed for a few times, before she gather up courage to asks "Then… I will become a magical…"

However, before Madoka could tell Kyubey that she wanted to become magical girl and what wish she wanted to use, one bright yellow beam shot from the battle site piercing through the air and vaporized Kyubey down to nothing in a fraction of second! All before her eyes!

And the logical reaction of young girl seeing something died in front of them is to scream, and scream she did caught attention of her senior who instinctively spared a look toward her junior and saw what happened…

"**Kyubey DIED!"** Mami screamed hysterically, trying her best to not be distracted by such accident, while Kyoko seemingly not noticed it at all since she was trying to stay alive under barrages from Ran at the moment. Homura and Oriko break off from the failed attack on Ran, while Sayaka clearly lost it and jump straight at fox-lady in the air clashing her blade against her claws, and she would've lost momentum and dropped back to the ground had not because Mami saw it and quickly conjured ribbon bridge beneath the knight's feet so she could have some solid ground to push against Ran.

"**Are you not human? Killing him like this!**" Sayaka snapped at her opponent, pushing blade forward despite a small crack on it as if the blade would gave away in any second, her blue eyes lit up with fury, her mind thinking nothing more than do anything she could to avenge Kyubey, forgotten the facts that they're in mid-air and the only thing suspense her was a single fragile ribbon bridge Mami created altogether.

And yes, this reaction is because she saw everything, from Ran raised up her palm apparently lining up on Madoka, and while she tried her best to charge in to intercept it while the barrage still pinned most of them down and limited her speed greatly, but it was too late to stopped the fox lady from firing her shot at Kyubey and killed him in one hit…

"Of course I'm not…" Ran chuckled at the knight, while effortlessly parried the chain-spear attack from behind and retaliated the redhead with more spears of her own without looking back! "…I'm nine-tailed fox remember?"

"Er, yes…" Sayaka suddenly complied without herself knowing what she just blurted out, her grips on her sword losing force a little, but still enough to hold Ran's claw at bay, for now at least.

"Besides" Ran continued, trying to distract the knight some more. "**Kyubey doesn't die when he's killed anyway**, so don't worry about him too much, kid." She added her sarcastic remarks before back-flipping behind Sayaka in an instant when the girl gaped at the sight of Kyubey slowly regenerated back to normal next to Madoka and… Patchouli who rushed back from the house toward her friend, right before her eyes, forgets that she was still in battle, or that she just lost her balance due to lack of counterforce from Ran when they're in a deadlock seconds earlier, and now she started to fall down because of it.

"Oh, by the way, don't get too distracted by his recovery, or else…" Ran left her words hanging just that and simply kicked Sayaka from behind sending her crashed down to the ground below for the… well, she lost count how many times Sayaka crashed down like this already… Then she turned attention toward the only two… no three puella who don't shared any concern about Kyubey died when he's killed more than a distraction, and engaged her in close combat so other may recover again…

* * *

Madoka could not believe her eyes, seconds ago Kyubey was nothing more than atomic dust once the laser blasted him, but suddenly he emerged from thin air yet again, seemingly fine, no scratch, no missing limbs at all.

'_Sorry for scaring you Madoka.'_ The creature apologized _'But don't worry about me dying too much, I can regenerate as you can see, but that also lucky that it was me who get hit instead of you.'_ A loud explosion obscured his voice at this time when Mami conjured another gigantic cannon, Trio Finale and fire giant energy beam toward Ran forcing Oriko and Homura who currently in close combat against fox lady to dispersed else they caught in the crossfire, it seemed that stress of fighting continuously without sign of victory in sight didn't bode well with her that she started making mistakes now.

"Indeed," another soft-low voice of Patchouli reached her ear, it seemed that the pajama magician decided to rush back and check on her, apparently healed and no side effect from rehabilitation in hospital remains. She knelt next to Madoka before scolding her sternly. "You should get to the manor, I've erected another barrier there, it'll be enough to handle some stray shots, at least…"

"O… Okay…" Madoka replied, picking herself up from the ground then run toward the manor while Patchouli did the same, her purple eyes glaring at Kyubey who run alongside her for a second, before decided that preventing it from coming into their 'base' will only rise suspicion, thus she sent telepathic signal for Alice and Marisa, who still sticking to the 2nd floor windows observing the battle, to kept the dolls and many artifacts away, a feast that's quite easy considered both have accessed to some form of dimension-space storage spells, by the time battle end, there won't be anything in the house that Kyubey will suspect.

* * *

Homura let out a sigh of relieve when she saw Patchouli leading her friend to safety, although she was a bit disappointed that Kyubey still able to rebirth in this bound field, but then again, it was there to prevent them from escaping, not stopping someone from using magic anyway.

Glancing back at her _'fire-forged friend'_ in white nearby, she just lost her large-bishop hat in the last crossfire thanks to stray shot from Mami, who now on a verge of losing consciousness from stress of this… as Marisa appropriately put it _'Hopeless Boss Fight'_ and thus cannot distinguished her white dress apart from Ran, who also dressed white properly anymore. Thus the shooting anytime in the last two minutes that both of them clashed in mid-air.

In truth, Homura thought bitterly while looking at many tears and holes on her magical girl's uniform which isn't that much better than Oriko's, she didn't fare any better too since her blouse also colored white and thus get shot whenever she went near Ran due to her refused to use any _'weapons' _she _'acquired'_ thanks to their limited ordinance, thus also forced herself to relied on only flight, punch and kick pretty much like what Oriko did since the start of battle.

But then again, Ran already proved in the first few minutes into battle up until now that hundreds of bullets and projectiles means nothing to her, even combined with her time-stop she doubt that any projectiles she fired will have a chance to hit her, if what Ran spoke to both of them before going out to trapped these girls here was true.

'_Don't worry about dying, I'm not using my full power on you lot yet.'_

Considered that fox spirits are tricksters, not using her full power _on them_ doesn't mean she wouldn't use her full power _to stop projectiles from hitting her_, and from what Homura could see, Ran never in a pinch that warrant such action at all even when Mami firing hundreds of matchlocks with Trio Finale simultaneously! And if that couldn't force her to go all out, Homura don't know what will, but it's not those marbles Oriko loved to threw around in many previous timeline for sure, and she reacted appropriately by going melee like this.

Of course, all is not lost, if five of them _can worked together with strategy and planning_, then at least they could force Ran to let loose her true power to not getting hit by them, but as they are now? When Kyoko still this arrogant, insisted to go lone wolf on Ran who clearly outclassed her by a distance from Earth to Alpha Century and keep getting in other's ways repeatedly, sometime even swung her spear at Homura forcing her to abandoned attack and turned to defensive before Ran exact retribution on her.

Or Sayaka who seems to fight Kyoko as much as she can by _'accidentally misthrow sword'_ while trying to land a hit on Ran who was flying while she can't, and ended up yelling, swearing, taunting Ran to come back to the ground and fight like a knight like an idiot before a barrage of magic missiles shut her up, she has to wondered what the fox lady has done to her to made her angry so much, did she scolding her when she was visiting Kamijou at the hospital last time?

While Mami, well, she just too exhausted to think rationally, and Homura can hardly blame her for being ineffective in combat, she did not have experience against opponent that intelligent enough to outthink her before since all she fought until now are just witches that basically has only animal instinct after all. If she was still fresh into battle Homura sure that she would be a big help in this fight. But then again, at the start of battle, no one listen to Mami anyway so it's a waste. While Homura herself isn't the kind of natural leader, and Oriko didn't have the charm to persuade some hothead like Kyoko and Sayaka to obey either.

In the end, right now, Homura know that only two of them, her and Oriko, is the only two puella magi who at least has some sense to realized that their favorite 'magical girl contract package' cannot save their asses here nor put a scratch on Ran! And thus likely that they'll be the last one standing too if it keep going like this!

Her musing was cut short however, by a pair of claws that threaten to rip her face off somehow appeared in front of her not a meter away! Too late to use time stop and dodge the blow, she quickly raised her shield up and prepare for the worst.

A metal clashing sound ringed through the air when another white blur shot from Homura's side and intercepted the blow for her, follow up by said hand picking her up and then flew to the air disengaged from Ran before another shot from Mami landed at their location not a second later, exploded and creating plume of dust all over the place.

"Th… Thanks…" Homura muttered while still clinging onto another girl's arm, the only thing that hold her up in the air at the moment, even the lesson from Marisa and Alice, she still not confident enough to fly at this speed by herself just yet.

However, danger was not over just yet when another barrage of yellow bullets trailing their movement, trying to shoot them down, forcing the girl to fly low to avoid being stick out and become magnet of attention, but doing so unfortunately made someone else become victim to friendly fire instead of them…

Particularly, certain tattered blue knight who happened to wore white cape to battle…

It came without warning, Sayaka Miki was one second ago trying to catch her breath, tired and exhausted but still determined to beat Ran down a few punches, another second later, a bright yellow ribbon burst out of one bullet that managed to found its target on her back, binding and incapacitating her in an instant.

"Mami… sempai…" She called out weakly no more than a whisper, a once bright blue gem on her belly now clouded with darkness almost two-third, struggling helplessly inside the yellow cocoon, which Ran promptly save her the trouble by a took a stop next to her, and a simple chop at the exposed back of her head, sending her to dream world instantly before darting out to the next target…

A dozens meters away from where Sayaka fell, the musket woman continue to shoot, shoot and shoot, at anything that has a semblance of white blur passing through her field of vision, but now the accuracy and frequency dropped sharply like a rusted machinegun that haven't oiled for years, her gold eyes is blurring, her vision darken but she couldn't stop, unable to stop, not before she bring Ran down to her knee! Else how can she call herself a senior when her junior was dying tried to protect her!

She was never as tired as this before, the grueling battle against witches during her years as puella magi never taxed her so much like this fight, because the one she was fighting right now is not a mindless abomination she, and any puella magi used to fought, but an intelligent, ancient and all-powerful being that human only heard in tales and folklores. Which judging by that small grin on the fox lady's face, she was quite sure that the reputation wasn't exaggerates at all!

The sound of someone dropped to the ground nearby made her heartbeat skipped beat, she quickly raise her rifle and turned to face the assailant only to found nothing, but before she could turned to aim, a sharp pain erupted from her stomach made her back arch over. Bowing her head down due to pain, she found that the fox lady was in fact in front of her, just that she still knelt to the ground and not standing at full height thus out of her blurry field of vision. Then she saw Ran turned into a blur moved up passed by her head before she black out.

In the meantime, Kyoko growled in frustration while still fighting in smoke cloud for nearly three minutes now, bullets of various colors, size from a small firearm to those of rocket launcher continuously pouring down on her from magic circles that Ran summoned long ago, like automated gun turrets that float in mid-air, without pause, kicking dust and plume of brown smoke everywhere she could see, the barrage was so dense that charging out of this damn cloud wasn't the good idea unless she wanted to waste another grief seed to purify her gem and heal herself up immediately afterward, thus left herself up to the mercy of that fox!

'So be it' she thought, while sidestepping to let one giant ball of flame exploded on the ground next to her. 'At least this damn dust cloud also hide me from her too, let her exhaust her power then I can get out and wrap things up, huh? What's that?'

She raise her spear pointing at a shadow casted on the cloud of dust to her left, ignoring the barrage that still exploding and blasting all over the place, since those are just fire randomly and leave too much gaps between them for her to maneuver safely, albeit slowly too since she has to aware of stray shot that might get lucky and caught her. Before she slowly approach it carefully…

And found nothing…

Sensing danger lurking nearby by instinct, Kyoko quickly rolled on the ground, avoiding a claw that shot out of darkness and tried grip on her neck by an inch! The redhead didn't waste her time jumped up using the spear pole as a crutch, before turned it into chain-spear lashing out everywhere in circle all over the place once she was already a few meters up in the air, forgot about the bullets raining down from the sky completely…

Thus, one laser sight appeared on her back when she still hovering via her spear occasionally stabbed into the ground and sending reaction force up on her to keep her above and looking for Ran on the ground below, thus made what above her a blind spot which Ran abused it without mercy in form of blue laser hitting the girl squarely in the back, blasting her down to the ground head-first, her spear shattered and vanished into nothing when the owner lost consciousness due to impact on her head...

* * *

A dust cloud slowly settle around the nine-tailed fox once the primary cause of its emergence, the magic circles Ran conjured, ceased to function. She slowly reached for the redhead's neck, claws reformed back into normal human hands touching the back of it, before she smile a little that the girl still alive…

Half a minute passed before the dust completely gone, revealing Ran in her white gown-dress which has a little dirt stuck on then and there, but not a single tear, blood, or scar that would suggested that she was in a fierce battle not a minute ago. Looking around herself, apart from Kyoko next to her, she found Mami lying unconscious on the ground dozens of meters away near the fence, Sayaka's tattered form to the center of the garden that was devoid of roses and replaced by many craters, two of them which hold a battered form of Homura and Oriko, who at least got off better than other three puella magi as they didn't have that much bruises and injuries as others.

All amounted to those two have enough sense to realized that the battle was a lost cause the moment first puella struck down, and utilized the smokescreen from her massive barrage to shield themselves from Kyubey's and Madoka's view, then pretended to be knock out, all according to their plan beforehand. Specifically, the one they planned in case those three perform horribly and has no hope of winning against her **even while she still holding back as this** that is.

No matter, a win is a win regardless, Ran then looked toward Madoka, who seems so distressed by her friends' defeat that she would contract the accursed creature right then and there, only halted by Patchouli, Marisa and Alice trying to comfort her even now, which from her ears seems they tried to explained that Ran didn't meant to kill them all, but just to teach them a lesson, with Patchouli's words are the most credible for the pink haired girl considered that she spent time with her in hospital thus it's normal that she would assumed that she known her the most.

To solidify Patchouli's claim, and also the truth, she shouted. "Mind gives me a hand here? These girls are not going to moved themselves for at least a few hours!"

The response was a series of groaning from Homura and Oriko who slowly rise to their feet shakily, made Madoka let out a cried of relieve that her friends still alive, albeit battered, but alive.

"Don't… worry… Madoka…" the dark-haired puella spoke while still panting due to exhaustion. "They're… still… alive… I… felt it…" before she, and the owner of the house, supporting each other, slowly move toward the manor while Ran decided… or realized… that no one could give her a hand in carrying these three girls back to the manor, else it'll raise too many questions and suspicion from Kyubey, used her magic once more, the tattered, battered form of three unconscious puella magi slowly lifted up from the dirt they lied on, hovering toward the waiting bystanders with Ran at their back, leaving the wreckage of a garden behind.

Victory is hers, a flawless one, since she **didn't even need to bring out her spell card **at all…

* * *

**Author Note**: Hope no one bash me for stomping the poor puella magi here, the reason for this are out there already. And I hoped that the battle scene was up to the standard (what standard? Yours of course.)

Anyone see Kyubey's using this situation to contract Madoka coming? I applied it from the first encounter of Kyoko in episode 5 of the anime where it was Kyoko that created the situation, not Ran, before Homura stepped in and ruined his plan.

This chapter was quite fast, I think it has something to do with I'm quite active at the moment? But then again, the next chapter may or may not come out fast as this, depend on my mood or creativity as always. Which might suffer the next chapter considered there're loads of fallouts that needed to be contained thanks to Ran's actions. Many factors I needed to thinks through else it'll create plot hole.

You can help suggested too, about which hole needed to be take care of and how.

Review as you see fit, my dear readers, until next chapter…

PS: did anyone see the references in this chapter? One is from Final Fanta... you should know this already, another is "Lancer Died" and the last one is… well, the infamous quote from protagonist of Fate/Stay Night which you should know too, heh... heh...


	13. Chapter 12 Cold Justice

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 12: Cold Justice**

Everything she saw right now was nothing but darkness, thought Sayaka Miki when she slowly regain consciousness while her eyelid still shut, however, her other senses also tell her that she might've gone crazy to felt like what it is now. Since she was lying on something soft, her nose picking up a pleasant smell of food, her ears heard only her own breathing and the sound of electric fan blowing wind rubbing her hair from time to time.

Slowly, she groaned, blinking her eyes trice and then found that she was looking at the ceiling of some room, artificial light shone from a single bulb near the corner of her eyes making her turned the other way and found that what she was lying on is a nice, comfy bed and there also a blanket covering herself as well.

Still blur from waking up, Sayaka sat up on her bed, rubbing her eyes with her hands only to found that she was also in some sort of white nightgown that was a little too big for her, not her puella magi dress, nor the one she normally dressed for that matter too. And speaking of magic, her bright blue gem signifying the contract with Kyubey still adorned her finger in a shape of ring as usual, nothing wrong, not even an ounce of black smoke inside as if those fighting and got beat up was just a bad dream...

"What?" She mumbled, rolled the blanket to the side, then started looking around her, and that made her even more confused because now she is inside some sort of room that clearly not her own, nor Madoka's, nor anyone else she knew of for that matter. And she would be confused like this for a while if not for the rumbling noise from her own stomach and another voice from a girl is was all too familiar.

"Sayaka! You've awake!" Called Madoka from another side she was looking at, made the blue haired girl turned her head toward her friend. And she saw that her schoolmate, in her school uniform as she saw today, was sitting on a table that has some food on a single plate placed untouched there, as if it was waiting for someone to pick up and eat.

Next to the wall nearby, leaning with hands behind her head, is Kyoko, who's back into her normal clothes, well, not quite normal clothes, but a white nightgown similar to what Sayaka's wearing, working her mouth like she was chewing something, or rather, cursing someone without making a noise, her red eyes look away from Sayaka, and by extension, those food on the table the moment the blue haired girl looking back. And it's not that hard to see why when she saw Mami, who also in the same style of nightgown, sitting on another bed, arm crossed, eyeing the redhead with stern look as if trying to scare her away from taking the food.

She then turned toward her junior, tried to smile and greets her despite the grim look on her face. "That's your share of dinner today, Sayaka-san, we already ate ours..." She pointed at the stack of empty plates with spoons and forks on the corner of that same table to make her point clear. "So, don't worry about us, you should recover as fast as possible."

Last word from Mimi hit the girl like cold water splashed on her face, her blue eyes widen when her missing memories about what happened in the garden of a giant manor came back, the battle against foe that's so hopelessly outclassed all puella magi present here, the legendary beast she thought existed only in folklore and tales, and the fact that said beast happened to be Kyousuke's newfound friends at the hospital, alongside another girl who achieved magic without contracting with Kyubey… speaking of which… she turned toward Mami and quickly asks "Wait, then what happened when I'm unconscious? What happened during the battle?"

Kyoko snorts in irritation but didn't say anything, Mami looked down at her feet with grim face, but do not said anything as well, Sayaka noticed that it wasn't a good sign so she looked at her pink haired friend for answer, and answer she got… was unexpected…

"After all of you knocked out, Miss Ran picked you all up and brought us here, apparently Oriko-san… the white puella magi let Ran, Marisa, Alice and Patchouli stayed here long before we first met them… and we're in her house anyway so she decided to lend us a room until you recover. They also help patched us up too."

"If I only knew that newbie letting the fox stayed here earlier, I would've kicked her ass the first time we met already…" Kyoko growled in anger, her fists clenched.

"She's hardly at fault, Kyoko…" Mami replied disapprovingly. "If you remembered, none of us know what Ran actually was until she decided to fight us, even Kyubey cannot tell it, then how can a girl that contracted not long ago know that the one she rented her house to was a kitsune?"

Kyoko still retort, at least, because it's the only thing she could do now to vent out those anger and frustration in her mind. "Yeah, right! Like I will care about that, she's still the one to blame for locked us up here! She's the owner of this place!"

Mami scowled at those harsh words and countered. "It's not nice to speak like that when she's the one who gave us meal and help us you know. Not to mention that she sacrificed her own stockpile of grief seeds to purified our soul gems as well!"

Now that Mami mentioned it, Sayaka closely examines her ring once more, and now understand why her soul gem doesn't have any corruption in it…

'So she helped us, despite what amount of mess we dragged up in her front lawn.' Sayaka berated herself as if it was her fault, after all, if she did not fight Kyoko like that, or if she's strong enough to finish the fight faster, the nine-tailed fox might not found the scene and consequently, getting upset with them to the point of getting them here, set up a battlefield to dragged another puella magi, who have nothing to do with her problem whatever, into the same situation and getting injured as well as everyone like that.

Meanwhile, before the redhead could find a counter argument and Sayaka could finish her meal, a loud knock was heard from the door, follow up by a voice of someone familiar. "This is Alice, I'm here to collect the dishes, do you all finished yet? Can I come in?"

Mami was the first to replies, trying her best not to make it sounds upset since she is still unsure whether this girl was collaborating with nine-tailed or not, she might be just resident here, no need to make more enemies for puella magi yet. "Sure, you can come in."

The door slowly open, revealed a blonde woman in blue dress walking into the room with a steel tray in her hand, heading straight toward the table where Sayaka's still eating, she set aside the tray, collecting the empty dishes by herself, ignoring the glare from redhead, avoiding confrontation, until the last minute, where she already collected all of them and prepare to leave that Sakura decided she had enough of confinement today and grabs her shoulder.

"Wait missy, can you tell us what the hell that damn fox is plotting? Just locked us up here until Walpurgisnacht's gone because we're weak? Are you all underestimated us?"

Alice's face remains impassive while she stated bluntly. "If you asked me, who observed your battle from the start to finish, you've so many opportunities to defeat Ran…" Kyoko started grinning at those words, however the grin disappear the moment she open her mouth again. "…but that only happen if you all here, excluding Madoka, well, she's non-combatant anyway… are willing to work together, not just getting in each other's way like that display this afternoon."

Sayaka grunted, but didn't argue anything, because Alice was right in every aspect, she too concentrated too much on punishing Kyoko for trying to desert them, not focusing on Ran and or trying to get everyone to cooperate. Meanwhile, Mami lowered her head in shame for being the most experienced out of all girls, yet she did nothing to close the gap between her old friend and her junior at all.

Seeing that the girls were silent once again, Alice slowly shook Kyoko's hand off and turns to leave, however she was halt once more, this time, by Madoka who asks her with a worrying look. "Um,… Miss Alice, how Homura-chan's doing, we never saw her here since you pick Mami-sempai and Sayaka chan here, and Kyubey too, did they hurt?"

All of them did not noticed that the puppeteer was stiffen a bit at the mention of the little contractor before resume neutral stance as quickly as it come, she then observing the room, taking note of impassive look on Sayaka and Kyoko, Mami and Madoka's worry, then answers "They're fine, Homura and Oriko were hurt yes, but they're nowhere near everyone here, thus they decided to help around once we patched her up, after all, this's Oriko's house we're talking about..." Alice let out a small chuckle at the last sentence.

"I see, thank goodness." Madoka let out a sigh of relieves, while Mami gave them a little smile, before Alice excuse herself and leave the room, not forgetting to lock the door and then states. "I'm sorry for locking you here, but… considered some of you are quite… rebellious…" That causes Sayaka to smirk at the redhead who in turn made a soft grunted at the direct verbal jab against her. "…It's not good for your own health to running around even if all your wounds are healed, so, oh and the restroom is another door…" She pointed at the door at another side of the room.

With that, the puppeteer turned to leave, but Madoka stopped her again. "Wait, Miss Alice, what about our parents? Are they aware of our…"

She didn't get to finish the sentence however, as Alice turned to replies "I've informed them that both of you will stay a night at your friends' house…" she pointed her finger at Mami, indicating which 'friend' she's talking about before continues while bowing her head a little. "… well, I'm sorry for taking liberty of checking your cellphones, but rest assures that I did nothing more than that, oh, in case you're wondering, we used this house's phone, not yours."

"I see… thanks…" Sayaka murmur, mouth still full which made Mami shot her a disapproving look, but her eyes still train on Alice before asking her own question. "Ma'am, can I ask you something?"

Seeing the puppeteer nodded, the blonde puella continues. "What's your relationship with Ran? I mean, I know you're friend but how could…"

She didn't get to finish her question however, as Alice tilted her head a little, looking back at her in both confused and displease, before replies coldly. "You just answered your own question wasn't it? We're friend."

"Er…" Mami worked her mouth, not sure what to says.

Alice sighed before repeat her answer in annoyance. "Yes, it's true, we're friend, but if you're asking whether I knew if she was a nine-tailed fox or not or how can I know it, then yes, she told me."

"Are… are you not scared, making friend with nine-tailed fox like that?" Madoka asked, her voice quivered a little at the thought of living with legendary beast.

Alice's eyes narrowed down on the pink haired girl in annoyance, made the girl looks like she was about to shrink a few inches shorter under her gaze, before she soften down a bit and gives her a warning in an even tone. "Ran is an individual, Miss Kaname, I ask you thus, will you be pleased if someone called you 'Mon-Keigh [1]' er, sorry…" She suddenly paused, coughed a few times, and then continues the rest, mind wonder for a fraction of second if Marisa's random nonsense reference has started rubbing her thought process, though she did not showed it on her face for these girls to see. "…if someone called you 'Human' instead of your name, will you pleased at that?"

To the puppeteer's surprise, the one who answer this metaphor was none other than Mami Tomoe, who looked at her with a serious frown. "To deny one's individual means you're not respect them in any senses, showing that you're not only disrespectful toward said individual, but their race as a whole as well…"

"Precisely…" Alice replied with a nod of approval toward the blonde before explained sternly "And she also prided herself for able to reach her apex of power on her own, prided herself in fulfilling any… promise… she made without fail, respect those whom she knew deserved it. So I hope that you could call her by name, the same as the first day you met her… the same as she called you by yours."

"So she promised to be friend with you, Miss Marisa and Miss Patchouli?" Madoka speculated.

"In a sense…" Alice sidestepped the question with a clever word which could interpret as 'yes', before shifting the subjects without the girls knowing it. "As for the original question… no, she's rather serious person if you ask me, if she says something then she meant it…"

Then she slowly looks at each of the puella magi in the eyes, particularly the redhead who shot back a glare with intense hate as if she could passing it through Alice toward the one who gave her a beatdown, then confirmed what they had in mind with her next word. "Yes, that mean what she said to you before she began her fight is basically what she could summed up by observing you all, and trust me, she knew it before she even fought you, after all, she lived for centuries, her experience is more than enough for reading a few teenage girls…"

And that's not the end of it as Alice quickly added another insult to injury of the wounded puella magi, as she promised to Ran a few hours earlier when she volunteered to deliver food to them. "Oh, I nearly forget, Ran asked me to tell you that, word for word 'There's a reason why I did not beat up Akemi and Mikuni as much as you three, because they've at least some commonsense to assert the situation and adapt, not to mentioned their teamwork, and even under such pressure they still able bailed your sorry butt out without much bruises and scratches so many times, so I think they're interesting and had potential'…"

Mami lowered her head in shame, sighing, Sayaka narrowed her eyes while averting Alice's gaze looking down at her own ankle, her self-confidence get shot down the drain, Kyoko let out an unpleased hmph but choose not to say a word least she caught the eerie of Mami again, not that she cannot beat her in a fight, but Mami can be scary if needed be, and lastly Madoka who seem to relieve at Alice's word that at least, Ran had found Homura and Oriko to be 'interesting' which her quite a bit naïve mind of teenager translate into the nine-tailed fox will not harm those two again, hopefully.

Alice stayed silent for a while, looking at each girl in the room as if to tell them that they're free to ask her any questions they wished, but after two minutes, she decided that she gave them long enough time, and seeing that the blue haired girl has finished eating, thus she collected the dishes, turned to leave, slowly walking toward the door unimpeded by any hand or voice, she opened the door and step out with tray in hands.

But before she's going close the door, she stopped, looking at three puella magi plus one middle schoolgirl with her blue eyes for a while before "I hope you all do not try to wreck this place, it's not reinforced with magic so I doubt it can withstand your supernatural power, and I'm quite sure that the owner of this house… Miss Oriko… will not take you kindly anymore if you ever dared to do it."

With that parting threat and warning, Alice slammed the door shut, a few steps slowly fading as her distance increase, and then it turned to silent, but not for long as the occupants in the room started making their own noise yet again, with the blue haired knight be the first one. "Ahhh! I forgot to ask her where she takes our clothing to!"

Madoka couldn't help but giggling at her exclamation, even Kyoko, who always look angry for the whole time of their stay here, also hard pressed to suppress her smile at the inappropriate priority the girl takes, and get it into words for other to hear. "Really, you knight sure have some weird taste about clothing, have a fetish or something with your school uniform?"

Of course, such dirty mouth couldn't go unnoticed by Mami who sat just a few meters away, she quickly gave her former comrade a warning while glancing at Sayaka who blushed crimson and shot back a glare at the offender. "Kyoko Sakura… I warn you…"

But that does nothing as the redhead ignored her and proceeds to harass the pink hair schoolgirl instead "Yo, so that's your friend huh? What kind of a jerk she is to drag you around into a supernatural fight? Or wait, did she want you to make contract and fight alongside so she won't be alone? How naïve you guys are…"

Sayaka gritted her teeth while her body glowed white engulfed her gown entirely, and a second later, she was once again in her blue knight armor… magical girl outfit, cutlass in hand pointed at Kyoko who stood near Madoka and yells angrily. "Don't you dare threaten my friend!"

"Oh, I see you've recovered enough to start a fight?" Kyoko turn her attention back to the angry 'junior' puella magi, but has yet to transform, her red eyes stare directly at Sayaka, heedless of threat the girl just made as if it was nothing, hand playing with her red soul gem as to solidify that point. "You know well that you cannot defeat me, why bother to make a threat? Dog that bark doesn't bite. And both of us know that you're just like that."

The insult seem to do wonder in anger the knight even more, Sayaka seethed in rage, blade drew, her legs positioned in a stance, prepare to charge at the unarm redhead, but before she can carries it through, the voice of the eldest puella magi there snapped sharply at the two oppositions. "That's enough Sayaka! There's no point in fighting each other right now! And you Kyoko…" the blonde, whose face looks calm, but with a controlled rage marred in her voice, quickly jumped up on her feet, soul gem shone brightly in hand, ready to transform at a moment notice, while glaring at Kyoko "…I'll appreciate if you stop this nonsense, non-constructive conversation now, how can we expect to fight against Walpurgisnacht if we're like this?"

That seems to gained redhead's attention instantly, she tilted her head to look at Mami before asks her with a part excited part annoyed tone. "Hoh, Walpurgisnacht? Did you really think that with these ragtag bunches of newbies…" she pointed at Sayaka and Madoka "…contracted with Kyubey will allow you to take that thing on? Are you daydreaming Mami?"

However, that taunt failed to flip off the blonde puella, evidence is that, she still in has yet to transform to match Sayaka, pretty much like Kyoko though, that both can transform in a moment notice if things get out of hand, and then again, the same as when they were at the alleyway, they're also ignoring Madoka's plea to stop this nonsense argument as well since neither side wanted to stand down.

This stand-off don't last forever, for it has been interrupted by a sound of door slamming opened, this time, every puella magi let out an instinctive gasps once they saw who is standing there…

"It seems that I placed too much value on each of you than I should…" Ran spoke from the door, her yellow, cat-like irises of the speaker narrowed down like an angry feline, reinforced by the aura she's projecting from her person which still dressed in the same white dress she used to fought them before forcing all girls to took a step back from the entrance. Her fluffy tails waggling irritatingly, showed all her displeasure at this development.

Kyoko knocked out of her stupor first, gritting her teeth in anger and pointed her finger at the nine tails blocking the way out, shouting "Hey! You! What right do you have to lock us up here? Release me at once or else…"

"Or what?" Ran asked back, quirking her eyebrows. "Stab me with that spear of yours? Using magic to crumble this manor? I think you should've learned by now… it seems I was wrong…"

The chuckling at the last word sends the redhead into rage, however those words also reminded her that starting a fight now means suicide, but then again, this's Kyoko we're talking about, even she cannot attack Ran directly doesn't mean she will pass up any opportunity to let her frustration and grudge against the nine-tails fox be known to the one who caused it, thus she growled like an injured animal toward Ran, which also failed to even impress the elder being miserably.

"How typical…" Ran sneered at the sight of angry puella magi "Your acts barely qualified yourself as real human, more like a baby to me… blaming your loss toward others without looking down at your own self…"

It was then that Mami finally gathered enough courage to ask her former comrade out of worries. "Kyoko, please, stand down, you are not yet healed, how can you start another fight?"

However that prompted a response from the girl in question as Kyoko quickly lashed out at another one whom although intimidating, still not at the same level as the legendary demon at the door. She pointed her finger at the blonde puella and snorts back. "Don't you dare lecture me Mami! You've grown too weak to even solo everything yourself, else why you picked up that brat as your junior puella magi, and look! What can she do to help you? No! You still get your ass handed to you by that demon still!"

Mami step backward from the redhead, tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of what her former comrade had become during one year they parted way, despite the tragic past that broke up their friendship, never in her wildest dream that the once daughter of the church, a religious nun-in-practice that Kyoko once was, will become a jerk who distrustful of everyone, selfish to the core like this despite still fighting evil.

She was saved from more outbursts that Kyoko will definitely try to lash out by Ran, who cut off the rants by her cold, calculating and merciless words directed at the redhead. "That's even more proof that you're just a spoiled brat, Sakura Kyoko…"

Before the redhead could retort, Ran quickly follow up with a question "Do you know? When you pointed a finger at someone, where did another four pointing at?"

"Huh?" Kyoko paused, eye narrowed down, her mouth opened and close without sound, while other girls in the room also looked at Ran confusedly, not understanding what the nine-tailed fox tried to tell them as well.

Seeing the reaction, Ran chuckled once more "It seems this metaphor is too much for inexperience to grasp the meaning…" then she began to explain, as if a teacher lecturing a student, heedless that a moment ago, the teens were more or less wished nothing than murder her, and now at least two girls, specifically Sayaka and Kyoko, seem to heard this as an insult, not that Ran cared though, as at least another two seem to interest and listening.

"Mostly, one will point a finger to someone when they're going to accuse that individual of some wrongdoing, some mistake… **however, that action also makes another four fingers pointing backward to the accuser, which means that, in process of accused one's mistake, they are also failed to see the even bigger mistake that was their own fault as well."**

Then she concluded while looking straight in the redhead's eyes "Yes, you failed to see your own mistake, yet still try to accused other, no matter how much you do it, you'll still face the same failure, as long as you do not improve yourself, do not learn from what was your owns to improve…"

Her golden eyes suddenly caught sight of the blue haired teen smirking at the redhead, so she turned toward the girl, and address her with displeasure. "And I mean you as well, Sayaka Miki… no, not just you two…" She corrected herself while crossing her arms on her chest and look at the only non-magical people standing there. "I mean everyone here…"

"What?" Madoka surprised that Ran specifically look at her, making her took a step back, stumbled upon the bed behind which cut off her balance and forced her to trip over onto the soft white surface, yet she still too stunned to react or do anything.

The sight nearly made Ran laughs but hold herself upright else she shattered the imposing image she had built up around these girls completely, thus she remained her aloof expression, eyeing Madoka carefully while ignoring others antagonism sent her way, and suddenly an idea came up to her, a very good one which not only fulfill her mistress's request, but also fasten the process of foiling the little bastard that is Kyubey as a plus as well.

She then straightens her face and replies to the shaken pink haired girl. "That's for you to find out, Miss Kaname, I think there's some hope in your… intellect… that you'll figure it out on your own, shredding out your naivety soon, while for others here… are too much ignorant of the oblivious fact that I had no choice but to tell them in their face like I did…"

With the word of wisdom she gave, Ran turn back, careless of the heated antagonistic glare shot at her from everyone save Madoka, who looked more confused at the nine-tails words than to angry at her, which may or may not have anything to do with the fact that Ran didn't treat her as harsh as her friends earlier so the rage and grudge did not barred her thought, and make her start thinking about its hidden meaning.

However, Ran suddenly paused at the door, turning back to face each and every girls warily, and without any word, she put her hand on the doorframe, great amount of magic course through her body, exited at her palm and into the wall, then before those puella magi, who could naturally sensing magic at work could react or transform to stop her, the whole room glowed soft blue for a brief moment before fading into normal a second later.

Ran pulled back her palm before shot each puella magi a predatory smile while explaining what she just done "I decided to reinforce this room… and a restroom connected to it a little bit, now you kinds will not able to wreck this place anymore."

Mami's eyes widen in realization of the hidden meaning, her peers however, reacting to that more than a widen eyes, a scream of rage escaped from mouth of the only redhead in the room follow up by a flash of red light that lunge out across the room toward the nine-tails fox who was blocking the only exit, too fast for every puella magi present there to stop her as the metallic tip of the large spear extended out ready to pierce anyone in its way.

However, like the fight earlier, this frontal, head-on attack without thinking proved futile as Ran sidestepped forward, letting the spear grazed through her side by a hair width without even harming her dress and then her hands shot up at the wooden pole of the spear, flipping it slightly upward, causing Kyoko to lose her balance and footing. And then in a blink of an eye, Ran slapped her hand on Kyoko's back and sends her flying back into the room, crash-landed on the opposite wall with a thunderous sound!

Despite the force that sent Kyoko smashed into the wall was so strong to generate such loud crash, the wall doesn't even have a scratch or crack on it! Reinforced the nine-tails' claims even further that she has made this room indestructible by her magic to prevent them escaping. Sinking the already low morale of the remaining magical girls even lower, shattering any of their hope of secretly runaway from this 'prison' completely and utterly that when Ran told them not to worries about their parents and that she would release them when they 'calm down a little more', no one made any sound or defiant acts toward her anymore, even Kyoko, but it's more of a case of still not recover enough to fight than anything, or so Ran thought.

Seeing that the girls were finally pacified, Ran shook her head in disapproval, eyeing Mami who was the eldest girl there, then speaks directly at her in very polite and motherly manner, completely opposite from what she had done to them, as if she was trying a different approach to the teens.

"Miss Tomoe, I know that you all want to get out from here as soon as possible, and I know you till bear resentment toward me for doing this to you, but as I said, you all were a bit 'rebellious'…" she chuckled while the listener was listening half-hearted at best since her eyes seem to focus on Kyoko who was now struggled to get up while Sayaka, who already transformed, was holding her back from doing something stupid like provoking another combat while all of them are not ready. "…and I'm not the one who will let children like you run off to die, especially when I promised Madoka's and Sayaka's parents that they will be safe here and return to them tomorrow."

Ran motioned toward the two girls in questions, let out an assuring smile at them before speaking. "You should know, that I never go back on my word no matter what, I'll keep promise to look after you two to the end…"

Hostility that lingered around the blue haired knight seem to dropped a little, the girl then focus her effort back to lockdown the still enraged Kyoko while speaking to Ran, hostility fading completely from her voice. "Thank you, for telling my mother not to worry about me, and thank you for taking care of Madoka here as well…"

"But…" she added, blue eyes narrowed down on the blonde beauty which actually a demonic creature from the myth, and she declared. "…that doesn't mean I'll forgive you for what you've done to us. One day, I'll defeat you for sure!"

Suddenly, a sound of laughter filled the large room startled all puella magi, even Kyoko dropped her struggle to get up completely and looking at the source like the rest of the occupants, while the laughter died down in a few moment, Ran finally regained her composure and speaks cryptically to the knight. "That's the spirit, kid. I can only hope that it'll not break you when you ultimately realized the cruelty of this world, something that I thought will come to visit you soon enough… especially when you take up this mantle of responsibility…"

With that riddle word, Ran left the room, slamming the door shut with a follow up sound of 'click' indicating that she has locked the room, leaving three puella magi and one middle schoolgirl who suddenly remember that they forget to ask about Kyubey's wellbeing behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Alice hurried down the staircase back to the hall of Mikuni household and toward the kitchen which is now devoid of any magical dolls she often employed to do chore in her stead, thus she had no choice but to wash the dishes by herself alone while trusting Ran to handle the ruckus above her, if the noise was any indication.

After all, to prevent an early secret leaks toward the cat/rabbit that her friends, namely Patchouli and Marisa currently keeping him company at the moment, some convenient must be sacrificed. And of course, they must take turns sweeping and mopping the house without using any magic as well.

Not that she complained though, because, although they looked like it, those dolls she deployed were not robots that have anything preprogrammed into their 'brain', they're more or less empty shells with nothing but magical energy to powered their motors and function. Not fully automated mean that every task, every chore they did, she, as their master and their 'brain' must have enough understanding and knowledge to do them herself first, so she could passed up her skills to them so they can exactly move, act, and perform them flawlessly in turn.

In short, anything her dolls can do, she can do it with the same efficiency, if not more, as well…

Humming inaudible tone inside her throat while she was washing the dishes, she heard the sound of quarreling from the upstairs followed up by a loud crash that send a small quake throughout the house, yet she did not fear nor stopped her activity, except her brow furrowed in irritation at those teenage girls who has been held captive for the time being.

Of course, as an accomplished magician, she already sensed the reinforcement magic integrated into the house's structure mere moment before impact which means that, as long as the caster is good enough in magic, which she knew Ran is, this building will not collapse from such a thing. And of course due to her reinforced ears, she could hear what commotion was happening up there and quite glad that Ran has handling the situation well enough that no one was needed.

Still, Alice thought while finish up the last dish before placing it on a rack for it to dry out, those kids sure started getting on her nerves, something that she didn't think will surface again after interacting with Oriko and Homura during these many days. Yes, they're victims of unfair contract sure, but even though they didn't know that at this moment, something which she could find excuse to sympathized with them and not lash out like the first time they met Oriko, it did little to justify their behaviors.

Especially Kyoko, Alice frowned with disgust, who seem to think she's the best of the best, master of the world above others who can sentence any low life to death in order to get more grief seed to feed herself, seeing other puella magi as a threats, not friends, if you saw normal people as a mere cattle to be harvested by abomination who in turn will become your food and not seeing anything wrong with that, then you may have a moral problem worse than even youkai like her.

Second is Sayaka, but for Alice it's more of a pity than hatred, seeing that the girl still thinking of herself as 'Hero' white knight in a real world full of grey, she is too naïve, evident by her conversations and her action of standing up against Kyoko earlier, if she did not realize this soon, the world will break her… and in case of puella magi, as what their apprentices told her, 'break' mean 'turn into mindless abomination' which is an even more bad thing in Alice's thought.

For Mami, well, she's the only one that Alice and the collective of her magician friends agreed that they hate the least, but the fatal flaw of letting her own emotion take control in a grim situation still deduced her points, well, not everyone is perfect isn't it?

The puppeteer walking slowly toward the living room on first floor, now that she stop focusing her magical reinforced ears on the second floor, chatter can be heard through the door ahead of her, reminded her that this is not the time to worry about kids that had been pacified in the room above them thanks to Ran, they too, have their own problem to attend, particularly, about certain white cat-rabbit creature that is the one behind all the incidents happened on this world so far…

Steeling herself, Alice pushed the door open and walks into the living room, her two friends and two apprentices currently sitting on two sofas opposite to each other with small table between them, slowly sipping tea from their respective cup calmly while watching at the cat-rabbit creature named Kyubey who regrettably resurrected from Ran's magic laser despite vaporized it into 'Mist of Atom' already, who was now sitting on top of said table wagging his tail nonchalantly, ruby orbs on the forever-smiling face of his which fixated on Patchouli earlier turned toward her for a brief second when she arrived, then return to the conversation at hand, or more specifically, persuasion of contract if the word that rang in her heads were anything to go by…

'_Ah, Miss Alice, it's been a while, have you reconsider my offer for contract yet?'_

The puppeteer's eyebrows twitched, her mind tried its hardest resisting the urge to blast the accursed creature with her high-powered rainbow laser for still daring to asks her to contract as if he won't accept 'No' as an answer even she said it right in his face for what? Maybe five or six times now if counting the time when those kids still unconscious!

She succeed partially, even though her face shown nothing, but her hands still shaking with rage and anger at Kyubey, but fortunately for her, her companions and apprentices involuntarily draw the creature's attention away from her, thus he did not see her body language which gave away what she think about him while she replies coldly. "You asked me every single time we met, and my answer still the same, NO!"

"Yeah, good luck telling him…" the black-white witch snorts while putting down her cup revealing annoyed-looking golden eyes that currently glaring at Kyubey. "When you're playing maid for those brats, this Kyubey has tried a few more dozens excuse to 'why we should make a wish' for me to consider or to sway Patchy here into accepting it…"

'_Yet you and Miss Patchouli still refuse it every time.'_ Kyubey stated while tilting his head looking at two puella magi on the opposite sofa who seem to pretend they didn't pay attention to the contractor at all. _'But what's more strange is, even though you two will have to fight Walpurgisnacht at the end of this month, you seem too calm, not even go on a recruitment drives, like Mami over there, or for that matter, other puella magi who have to face it in the past…'_

The hidden meaning of this sentence is, Kyubey hoped that if Homura and Oriko were to help him persuade the three high potential girls in this room, the chance that one of them will contract should rise a little bit and wished that with two more puella claimed that they need help, the three will see the seriousness of the situation that is Walpurgisnacht and start reconsider their options again.

But that just the theory he couldn't put to use, because Oriko and Homura are anything but cooperative with him, it was the opposite, Homura still glare death in his direction even though it reduced in frequency and no bullets flying his way any longer. She opened up more to fellow puella magi instead of driving them away. But despite those improvements, she still maintain her attempt at scaring off or demotivate Madoka and other potential puella magi from making contract with him, he still have no slightest ideas about when did he contracted her and what her wish was to make her despise him so much like this.

Meanwhile, Kyubey thought while turning to look at the only white haired girl, who's quite subtle in showing her disaffection toward him, only a few disdainful looks or glares, but no more than that. In Oriko's case, unlike Homura's, he's quite sure that her behaviors had something to do with her finding out the truth about the contract via her wish, and it was likely that she's the main reason responsible for stopping Marisa, Alice and Patchouli from making contract with him. Though that may explained why she let they rent her manor so she could keep an eye on them, albeit an unnecessary move on her part, there's a reason why his species prefer to persuade pre-teen to teenage girls to form contract and not adults after all.

But then, it failed to explain exactly what she had in mind for letting these 'scientists' studying witches and puella magi to the point of brought them along for a witch hunting if not to persuade them to form contract? Did she think they can understand the work of the contract, witches and puella magi that even his race already gave up on trying to comprehend it millennia ago? And most importantly, did she already tell them what she and all puella magi will eventually become?

Shaking his head in denial, Kyubey concluded by himself that she might not telling them just yet, because if she's that loose-lipped, she would've told Sayaka the first time they met during battle against the rose witch days ago already.

Of course, for Kyubey reaching this conclusion because, for a race without emotion like him, human mind still remain a fickle things that he cannot fully comprehend no matter how good he is at manipulating young girls to make contract with him, he just have data storage and memories of the past as reference to how they will react in a given situation, not the reasoning for why they should react that way and what variables in each mind the perceived one's situation differently, and Oriko's case is no exception.

No matter the reasons, they're irreverent, the result still the same that he couldn't expect any help from both girls plus Kyoko, and that mean less energy to harvest as well if he can't get these three to contract, which is harder to do by himself, that, not even account for those who trusted him completely like Mami and Sayaka couldn't sway them one bit too, the chance was even more lower than before. While Ran, well, he didn't have any data on nine-tails fox at all, no references, nothing, the chance of getting her to contract in his opinion is almost zero.

But since there is no other girls with potential in Mitakahara and Kasamino anymore san Madoka, he can't just ignore these girls and move on to the next one, protocol denies him from such action!

He snapped out of his thought when Marisa starts a conversation with him, of course, if the way she stare at him while talking was anything to go by. "So, why you still keep trying to have me, Alice and Patchy forming a contract with you even we all declined your offer for dozen times already? Oh, and no 'Walpurgisnacht' excuse, you're trying this month before you knew about it. Was it like you said that we have high potential to become magic users?"

Kyubey stare at the black white impassively, trying to decipher the meaning, this's why his kind strictly trying to contract only the youths, dealing with adults who has more experience, less naivety to the world never a good idea that for a moment he doubt his own protocol as why exactly he tried to get them to form contracts to begin with? Probably the high magical potential they possessed it seem, and so he replies as such, but not forget to twisted it a little as to not rise suspicion from the trio, in case Oriko has yet to tell them the true nature of witches, however slim chance there is. _'Indeed, that's the reason, Miss Marisa… a strong puella magi mean that you can defeat strong witches that plagued the world you're living more effectively.'_

His answer although not provoking the adult to pries further, it failed to satisfy certain dark-haired puella magi, who slammed her cup down on plate in front of her. Her purple eyes angrily glare at him as if promising death, her lip stiffen as if she's resisting the urge to shout, before she finally settled on snorting at him with a cold yet barely restrained tone "Stop playing game with us! Kyubey, we know that you… have withheld something from us all… and these adults see through it from the first time you asked them to become like us!"

Kyubey, however, failed to grasp the underlying message that Homura accidentally conveyed through and asks back innocently _'I don't know what sort of information you get from them, Akemi-san, but are you sure that they're accurate enough, have enough proof or trustworthy?'_ He then adds while motioned in Alice and Marisa's general direction. _'They might have high potential on par with Kaname Madoka, yes, but it still potential, not talent… no offence to you Miss Patchouli…'_

Patchouli just shot annoying look at the creature, but not saying anything, prompting him to continues _'…That mean they're not an expert when it comes to practical magic using either, but adults tends to not believe in magic, so it's natural for them to dismiss or misunderstanding something as well, am I right?'_

Seeing that the creature tried to divert the conversation to something else, particularly, away from the deception or half-truth it doesn't wanted to reveal to the three magicians, Alice quickly set them back on the right track. "What we're saying is that, when you talk about magic, you always talk about benefit of having one, or that the life of the people on this very planet is always on the line because of witches' rampage…"

She paused a little when the door opened again, this time it was Ran who walked into the room, her fox ears twitching in irritation of something which everyone in the room know exactly why, _the second floor wasn't sound-proof after all_ and they also shouting up there as well.

But once the nine tails settled on the sofa beside them, then the puppeteer turned her attention back to Kyubey and goes straight to the point where they left off "But you seem to forget to tell us the system of it, how can we utilize them? Is there an explanation how that power works more than that lame excuse of 'it based on the wish of individual'? There should be more than that if you wanted these puella magi of yours to get anywhere powerful enough to face that abomination you mentioned to us!"

* * *

Meanwhile, unknown to everyone in the living room, certain redhead was currently lay down in the room which imprisoned her along with her fellow comrades and one schoolgirl, one ear cling to the floor, listening to the conversation below, and muttering "Well, that's interesting question, maybe these girls aren't that idiot as I thought…"

"What is it, Kyoko?" Mami who currently sitting on one of the bed asks while eyeing Kyoko curiously, as well as Sayaka and Madoka who seems to can't get any rest due to what the redhead puella currently doing, that, or they still pondering about what Ran said to them, no one know…

"Eavesdropping of course! Don't you see Mami?" Kyoko hissed at the blonde as silent as possible as if she fear that those fox ears will catch her sound. "Maybe I can get something, like weakness of that damn fox so I can kick her ass next time! Thanks the god that the damn fox forget to make this room soundproof, so her lose, my gain."

"Wait? The floor wasn't sound-proof?" Sayaka asks in surprised, of course, she heard what Ran said about reinforcing the room before she left after all, so it's natural that she'll think that this place has some sort of protection spell in place to prevent puella magi from doing anything to threaten them, and not expecting the floor to be incapable of preventing something simple like eavesdropping at all.

Kyoko snorts back "Yes, of course, I can't punch the floor open and escape, else I'd have done it when the fox out of sight!" she narrowed her eyes at the thought of her 'New archenemy' before turning her head back, averting other girls' stare "Now be quite while I spies on them!"

Silence reined the room once more, Kyoko resume her concentration on listening to the sound that travel through the wall, while Sayaka finally gave in to temptation of wanted to know Ran's weakness and dropped down to the floor to eavesdrop as well in seconds later, for Mami and Madoka, they could resisted for just another minute before resigned themselves and satisfy their curiosity like the rest of their roommates.

Fast enough to catch on the climax of the argument going on below…

* * *

Kyubey stared at Alice for a full minute before he could formulate an answer and conveyed it out, lowering his head as if he was in shame in the process. _'Then I must admit that I don't have any more in-depth understanding of puella magi system either, Miss Margatroid…'_

Oriko seems taken aback by this blunt statement that she could only let out a word "Huh?" while Homura huffed as if expecting this all along. However the adults and one nine-tails fox seem to be impassive while glancing at each other for opinions, and at last Ran spoke first "So, you're saying that you don't know how to trains these girls to become stronger?" She also pointed at both Homura and Oriko as if to make him know who she was referring to.

Of course, Kyubey will be very stupid if he was to answer them along the line of _'There's no point in training them up, because sooner or later, they'll turn into witches anyway, it's waste of time and efforts to do so, not to mention that as I said earlier, we do not understand it that much only that the transformation of puella magi into witches will release energy for us to harvest to starve off heat death of the universe.'_ As it'll accomplished nothing for him to gain but only what Homura was aiming for this whole time instantly… preventing the birth of new magical girls… which is a bad thing for him and his primary directive.

Thus, he decided to take a detour and sidestepping the truth a little once more by replying them with as short answer as possible, one simple word is suffice in this situation. _'Yes…'_

"So the solution to each and every Walpurgisnacht fights that appeared throughout history was always 'Throw as many puella magi as you could muster at them until it's dead'? That's not a sound strategy at all." Marisa exclaimed in surprise (or rather, fake surprise maybe?) while glared accusingly at the creature as if Kyubey was a mass murderer or some monster of a commander who sent their own soldiers/subordinates to die needlessly without caring to plan up strategy to minimize the casualties when they clearly have time and intelligence to do so.

Seeing the displeasure glance sent his way, Kyubey once again repeat his excuse, albeit now with more words and more information twisting, trying his best to hide the truth from them despite it's clear that they're now getting close to it by a minute, hope that this will satisfy them and stop them from prodding further, else, he might as well reveal the truth to them. _'It was an unfortunate situations and nature of the contract after all, Miss Kirisame, we simply not have enough knowledge and time to properly gauge what is best to train each puella magi up into a competent soldiers because of their wishes that affected their power and abilities. When the puella's powers are not uniform, it's impossible to find a correct method of teaching, beside, so far their performance are in acceptable state, only had trouble with powerful witches, but those aren't common so...'_

"You don't have enough time?" Patchouli interrupted his excuse, slammed her book shut in anger and standing up, glaring venom at Kyubey the whole time. "I thought that your kind have existed on this earth since we're still in cave from what you told me a few hours earlier? Is that much time not enough to devise some training method? Is the lifespan of puella magi was so short that even to at least train them in basic fighting skills, like those martial arts or evasive maneuver, a waste of time?"

She paused a little to catches her breathe from instinctively raising her voice due to anger that built up, and then continues once she calmed herself down. "It was very suspicious that even with the risk those puella magi have to take, the threat to this world from witches, how few and far between each magical potential contract out there, and you still not see the need to have them become as best as possible?"

"The only explanation I could think of is that you didn't care one bit about humanity's future…" Ran suddenly spoke up for the first time after hearing the argument in silent for long, then she smirked a little, which make three magician suddenly feeling uncomfortable, not from a threat that the smirk carried to them, but it is a gut feeling, instinct telling them that something big is going to happen, much like when Yukari's going to fool around or when another incident going to show up back in their homeland…

And their fear had proven true once Ran speaks up, quite loudly too, seconds later after she quickly take a look at the trio. **"…that, or you know that it won't worth your time, after all, why you would train them up when they're going to turn into witches one way or another when their soul gem fully corrupted, is that right, Incubator?"**

A collective gasps can be heard throughout the living room, three magicians' eyed Ran annoyingly as if to say 'I know it', while Homura and Oriko look shocked, they never thought that the always calm, calculative person like Ran will made such a bold move on the accursed rabbit and telling him that she knew the truth directly into his face like this! The only one there that doesn't show any sign of surprise was Kyubey himself, who still smiling as it seem to be only expression he can do while asking Ran back, not caring to hide it anymore as those in this room have a very high chance of already figure it out that Ran spoke the truth. _'Mind if I ask you something, Miss Ran?'_

"Go ahead then…" Ran nodded as a sign for the contractor to continue.

'_How did you know that puella magi will turn into a witch? More than that, you seem to know what kind of condition that will make they become it as well?'_ Kyubey went straight to the point.

Ran smirked and replies "It's too convenience isn't it? Soul gems that these girls had…" she glanced at rings on both puella's finger for a second then continue "…is the only device that can detect witches. Witch dropped those black grief seed when killed, and those things must be use to remove corruption on soul gem regularly, which happened to be able to to revive witches from the seed when using it to purify soul gem too many times. Connecting the dots and you'll reach the same conclusion as I am... that something is skeptical about it."

Silence…

Kyubey stood still, his tail stopped wagging around, red eyes stared into Ran's yellow, cat-like slits of an eyes, before finally gave in _'You're as sharp as your age suggested, Miss Ran, perhaps the tales that Madoka told me, that you lived for centuries were true after all…'_

"You're going to need more than half truth and lies to deceive someone like me." Ran smirked at the creature.

'_So you told them right? That should explain why they're quick to reject the contract like this?' _Kyubey turned to look at Marisa, Alice and Patchouli then look back at Ran questioningly.

Ran only nodded in confirmation, prompting Kyubey to speak once more, now with a different approach to get three girls to contract him by showing them some more truth. _'I see… but Miss Ran, since you've lived for centuries, do you know that me, and my kind did not doing this to led humanity to ruin right? Do you know that we're doing this to safeguard yours, and other species existed in this universe their future?'_

Of course, Kyubey referring to the Heat Death of the universe, and that magical girl's transformation into witches will release energy to counteract it, although he didn't told them that just yet, and that he rarely, if never told any puella magi this information in decades since they're unable to understand and unable to cope with the truth about their contract, which led to counterproductive on his mission when those puella magi turned on each other, as to 'mercy killing' or something like that, preventing them from fulfilling their parts in his race's plan.

But he now know that with the cat that is _'the truth about connection between puella magi and witches'_ out of the bag like this, the only chance he can get them to make contracts is to make them see bigger pictures and hope that they'll understand his method of helping the situation, that sacrifices are required to safeguard the future of this universe, hope for their selflessness to convinced them to contract and take parts.

However, before any of them could answers Kyubey's question, nor Kyubey himself able to explain further, shouts and screams can be heard from upstairs, startled everyone in the living room, particularly Homura, whose eyes widen as she recognized the sound.

"Madoka!"

Without any more word, Homura vanished instantly, leaving only four people and one creature back in the living room, which once saw the puella leave, quickly scramble out of the room and rushed toward the second floor, hoping that whatever happed over there is not what they think it is…

* * *

**Author's Note:**

[1] Of course, reference to Warhammer 40k, what else?

Sorry for the wait, but I'm just plain lack the inspiration as what to write next, or how the story should continue from the point I left out in the last chapter.

But rest assured, I'm not going to put the story on haitus or abandon it easily, no cut short either if I can help it. However, the same can't be said to another story I written, I think it's not good enough and full of hole, that, and the plot is too lame.

Reviews as you see fit, or if you wish to point out errors, until next time...


	14. Chapter 13 Plummet to the Void

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica**

**Chapter 13: Plummet to the Void**

Despite the Mikuni manor was quite spacious due to her family's upbringing before her father's downfall, it take less than half a minute for a supernatural-enchanted Oriko, along with the rest of her teachers to arrive at the room on the second floor they locked the puella from Mitakahara in, although in case of Patchouli, she had to stood still, clinging to the wall to allow her to catch her own breathe after the sprint was over.

However, they have no time to waste once they saw that the door of the room was busted open, and the noise inside stop abruptly seconds earlier, the rest of them rushed in, prepare for the worst, only to meet with the strangest sight they ever seen.

On the floor on all four was the eldest of the contracted, blonde haired puella magi in her magical girl outfit, limbs stretched out like The Vitruvian Man, one musket clutched in one of her hand, unable to squeeze the trigger, her face that looked up on the ceiling has tears flowing from her eyes that emanated not pain, but despair, which given the situation they anticipated, this's not surprising at all what she was thinking about.

Next to the blonde was a redhead, clad her in magical girl's costume but without her weapon, her red eyes greets the newcomer with nothing less than angry look, especially when she saw Kyubey perched up from Oriko's shoulder, also, if she's not has been pinned on the floor by some invisible force preventing her from getting, everyone was sure that the redhead will stop at nothing but utter annihilation of the Wish Granter.

Nearby were Madoka and Sayaka who huddled together, sitting on the floor unaffected by whatever pinned their seniors to the ground, with the pink haired girl muttering something into the knight's ears trying to calm her down, ignoring the pained, despaired look her friend giving out from her blue eyes that stared unmoving at the ceiling, and lastly there's Homura standing next to them, whose eyes showed confusion and hesitation, mouth opened and closed without noise, as if she couldn't form a word to comfort her two friends while glancing back and forth between the distressed blonde and angry redhead, prepare for any sudden, desperate actions they might do.

Once she noticed the presence of her teachers and Ran, Homura quickly asks at the nine-tailed fox straight to the point, while still keeping an eye on Mami and Sakura who couldn't move an inch despite still trying for some time, as cautious as before. "Was this you're doing, Miss Ran?"

Ran chuckled at the question but not answer immediately, for then Marisa decided to beat her at it by pointing out the oblivious, well, oblivious to Oriko, Homura and her fellow magicians at least "You set up a trap in this room aren't you? Else these two would've get up and dance around the room or trashing something already…"

Simple, blunt, and to-the-point statement made Kyoko glare knife toward the fox-lady, but that, as always, did nothing to intimidate her in the least, and she proceed to tell the rest of the room of her trap while ignoring Kyoko altogether. "Indeed, I told you all isn't it that I put up the bound field around this room to reinforce its structure to withstand your attempt to breakthrough it or escape…"

"Then… why… we can't… move…" Kyoko growled, or rather, tried to as she still exerted her force to free herself to no avail, so her voice come out more like she's panting after hard exercise instead.

This time, Ran looked at the redhead, pretend to be surprise that she still there. "Oh, Miss Kyoko, sorry for not noticing you earlier… well, stop struggling and listen carefully would you please?"

Without waiting for the answer, Ran continues "…this bound field will also suppress anyone who has magic AND ill intention toward someone else in the same room to the point of trying to kill… no matter the reason of trying to kill one, that will trigger this gravity spell on those who has magic… well, sorry…" she chuckled a little and rephrase her explanation "… I mean those who had BOTH magic AND Ill intentions will get smack with the gravity spell, that's why Sayaka and Madoka wasn't affected…"

Any curse words Kyoko was preparing died inside her mouth in the instant Ran said about "Ill intention", and instead, she blurts out "What! You say someone here trying to kill the roommate…" She glare around, eyes lingered at the sobbing Sayaka and Madoka for a bit, then her eyes widen once her mind quickly reached the conclusion "Mami!?..."

She glanced at the blonde, whose tears still flowing from her eyes, sniffing while looking back at the redhead with sympathy, or rather, whatever twisted version of it with a few mix of anger, sadness, and despair, as the musket in her trembling hand that still stuck to the ground by gravity bound field suggested, they showed clearly her intention… of mercy killing… of putting her fellow puella magi out of their inevitable doom… or so she thought…

However, the tension was broken by none other than Marisa who turned to ask Ran. "Wait, you also anticipated that she'll heard our conversation and do this… what is it… go mad from revelation?" Marisa spoke in disbelieve. "**Are you sure you're not friend of Batman** **or one of his students?** Don't tell me you've Witches repellant sprays and Familiar repellant [1] tugged away somewhere in that big robe of yours? What's next, Walpurgisnacht repellant Ran spray?"

"Marisa… you're not making any sense again…" Alice facepalm herself while shaking her head in irritation, while Oriko and Homura, already tensed at the word 'Mercy killing' did not have the mood to appreciate the joke and decided to prepare themselves should the distressed puella magi, particularly Mami or Sayaka, somehow free themselves from the bound field placed by Ran, no matter how unlikely they are, it's better safe than sorry.

Patchouli decided to take a step into the room, her purple eyes glancing around before stopped at the nine-tailed fox. "Ran…" She begins once she had the fox's attention. "…release the spell… please… I don't think they'll be in any mood to talk to us… not with this… uncomfortable… position…"

That made Ran take another quick look around the room, particularly at the redhead and blonde puella, before smirking inside when she saw something in one of their eyes, and then she complies, which surprised the three magicians who knew Ran all too well there. "All right, you have a point, I doubt they'll listen to me when I'm breaking their back like this too…"

And so the two puella magi suddenly felt the weight that bearing down on their bodies has been lifted once Ran snapped her finger. Slowly, Kyoko stood up, aching all over thanks to getting pressed against the floor for full five minutes and not moving much, instead plummeted down on a soft and comfy couch nearby, too exhaust to tell anyone to watch out for Mami, assuming she will suffer the same effect as her to do anything.

However she was wrong, as the moment the veteran blonde puella raised up, suddenly, before anyone has a chance to do anything, yellow ribbons shot out from the ground around both Sayaka and Kyoko, tied them down before they realized what happened! Furthermore, her musket magically appeared in her clutch, aimed directly at the nearest puella magi, specifically surprised blue haired knight who held her soul gem out in open and horrified Madoka who was unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire since she was consoling Sayaka at the time being!

"No! Wait! Mami!" Sayaka cried out of instinct due to the threat of death looming upon her head, but it fall on deaf ear, and Mami, who already lined up a shot on the bright blue gem in the girl's hand, took it as a signal of not giving anyone a chance to interrupt her… and pull the trigger…

A loud gunshot echoed throughout the room while other occupants shouting out of their lung desperately to stop the crazed puella magi, however it was too late as the bullet travel at supersonic speed, too fast for anyone to stop barring Ran who stayed still and watch the carnage unfold, the three magicians who cannot do it without exposing their true magic potential to Kyubey… Sayaka can only closed her eyes in fear, awaiting inevitable doom coming her way…

Only to open them again seconds later once a feel of warm liquid splattered on her face, and in doing so nearly screamed out when she saw that her face, and by extension, Madoka was covered in blood! But upon examination, it wasn't their own, but rather, it belongs to another figure that somehow appeared between them and their senior and took the bullet meant for Sayaka instead!

From their position, they could see that both the figure's long black hair and white blouse now soaked with red blood pouring out from a hole that bullet pierced right through from front to back, more than likely went through her heart as well, implying that using human shield isn't a good idea against magic-infused bullet as they once thought, but at the very least, when the bullet had went through solid and liquid matters like ribcage, flesh and organs did make it missed its mark and hit the wall behind them, missing Sayaka's soul gem by just a hair's width!

And then, Madoka screamed out of shock and horror when she realized who took the bullet in their place…

"Homura-chan!"

Within split second the bullet left the long barrel with a flash of ignited gunpowder, Homura's both eyes widen in horror when she saw that her senior hadn't calm down nor react that kindly to the revelation at all. Even with these many people and adults around her, she still reacted pretty much like the same when she first snapped in front of her in previous timeline. The dark haired puella cursed herself mentally for letting her guard down and nearly forgotten this fact which might lead to her and her mentors' plan of stopping Madoka from contracting, and by extension, defeating Walpurgisnacht, crumbling down around them in seconds.

She has her reason for this thought, though, because as of now, her teachers cannot reveal much of their magic especially in front of that little contractor, least Kyubey will turn their attention toward their home world, or if he saw what they can do, he might initiate… ironically 'witch hunting' on the three to foil their plan and eliminate any competition for contract, which result in defeat when they went up against Walpurgisnacht later at the end of the month.

But if they don't do anything, which is the best course of action that Homura also agreed (She doesn't want to deal with a Witch-abomination from another dimension if she can help it, because if it can cross dimension, she's sure as hell that nobody, including her, will be able to fight it, and spell doom to her dimension as well.) Kyubey might take the opportunity to persuade Madoka to take up the damn contract just to save the city and her friends once more, regardless of the truth about the contract being revealed as it is now!

To be franks, it's hardly her fault, because now she has these many helps around her, and even her former enemy (Whether she knew that she received such title from her or not.) like Oriko is also now on her side, it's easy to forget that this's her last chance of getting things right, as Kremhind Gretchen of this loop wasn't as forgiving as the previous anymore as it will be able to wreak havoc across dimensions, thus time-looping is no longer an option.

In that moment, Homura saw that Oriko who's standing nearby began sprinting toward the distressed puella who's about three steps away to detain her, she's at least quite sure that Mami won't get to fire a second shot, but as fast as the girl was, she's sure as hell cannot stop the bullet that already left the musket barrel, considered it travel at the speed of sound, there's no option left, apart from exploiting Homura's power!

Thanks to quick thinking instilled upon her during these few days of training and also that 'hopeless battle' with Ran earlier, Homura ran through options she had in hand while activating her time-stop once she took a few steps forward to make sure Mami or anyone, especially Kyubey, won't caught in the 'safe radius' of her time-stop power and get expose what her power really are, the world around her went monochrome and stay still…

The first and most oblivious option was to push Sayaka and Madoka out of harm's way, however, that option has high inherent risk, as to do so mean that she has to get in physical contact with them, unavoidably putting them into the 'safe-radius' from her ability, which mean both of them will now know what her real power are, and more than likely spit it out for Kyubey to hear which will ruin all advantages she has over the little bastard.

It may be a bit pessimistic and insulting thought to view your best friends (in another timeline) as a loose-lip person who can't keep secret even if you told them to despite your relationship being much closer than previous timeline before, but for Homura, who went through this hell so many times she lost count, it's not that surprising that she would not leave anything to chance anymore…

The second options that come to mind was to stench her hand out and catch the bullet mid-air, however she dismissed it immediately as it came because like before, the moment any part of her body was within certain distance between the object, her time-stop just drop away from that area, and that means it's impossible to do as the bullet will simply 'outrun' her attempt to catch until it reach its mark.

Except she's right in front of bullet's path to intercept it with any part of her body, taking hit in the process that is…

Considering most of the puella that's not quite so _'friendly'_ with her here, including Kyubey and Madoka, speculated that her ability is _'instant teleportation' _it's unwise at best to use her hand to catch the bullet, as it'll raise suspicion as why she can accurately do so, not to mention that this's magic-reinforced bullet she's trying to catch, if she failed to stop it it'll more than likely goes straight through her hand and into Sayaka's soul gem with precision for sure.

But, before she move in, Homura hesitated a bit, recalling how Sayaka always succumbed to corruption every single timeline she contracted so far, she started debating in her mind yet again whether or not to let Mami kill Sayaka right here to end the trouble of dealing with her witch form later on, when the time stopped like this, she could see and analyzed the bullet's path clearly that no matter what Madoka did, there's not even a single percent chance that she'll get hit instead of the blue gem in the knight's hand at all so it's pretty safe…

On a second thought, however, Sayaka still her friend, and someone else besides Madoka who represent idealistic part of her, knowing it or not, and she helped Homura out before she became puella magi and force to repeats this living hell over and over again, and the blue haired girl's mistake isn't entirely the girl's fault, if she has to blame someone for her suffering, it'll be Kyubey's, not Sayaka's ideal, as the ideal itself will never get anywhere like this if not because the false opportunity from that contractor present to her…

And so Homura dropped that thought and option out completely, decision comes to her mind that, with the revelations of magical girl turning into a witch come out like this, might better reveal another _'properties'_ that came along with that little bastard's contract as well, after all, it's better than they find this out later on, isn't it?

Thus, the time-traveller steels herself and jumped into the bullet's path in front of both her friends, using her body as human shield, and released her time stop…

A fraction of second after the time resumed its flow, Homura immediately feel a searing pain right in the middle of her chest, blood not even begin to pour out from the hole the bullet punctured through when she felt another pain in her heart as if it was about to burst when the bullet skewering it through, and then end with another pain of flesh at her back burst open sending blood and gore showering on those she sought to protect.

Homura panting heavily while standing still shielding Sayaka from Mami, eyes facing the blonde who has been tackled by Oriko from behind knocking the musket out of her hands and trying to wrest her arms around to suppress her before Homura can let out a sigh of relieve and wince in pain… Even with the superhuman endurance received alongside her magical power that keep her alive despite her heart has been destroyed, the pain still nearly unbearable when getting her heart skewered through like this, and a full recovery will take a while as she has to feed off her own magical reserve in place of her heart and also replace her missing organ as well as directing her magic energy to heal the wound.

Not that she minded this much energy usage though, as Oriko and her teachers still have a nice reserves of grief seeds for use, almost a hundred of them… and getting message across to her naïve friend who, in other timeline, willing to form contract with Kyubey just to save stray cat, that this power did not come without a heavy price, takes priority.

Speaking of which, she thought tiredly as she heard Madoka screamed out her name from behind, reminding her of why she did this in the first place, 'might as well get this over with…', she sighed in irritation, before turned to face the girl…

Madoka and Sayaka couldn't believe their eyes, Homura just took a bullet through her heart and still alive! And even perfectly capable of looking back at them with that concern expression on her face, furthermore, she also spoke to them in even tone, albeit a little strains and raspy due to the pain, but aside from that, she showed no sign that she was concern about that fatal wound on her chest at all.

"You two still all right? And wounds?"

"Homura… chan…" Madoka begins shakily, hand pointing out at the hole on her friend's chest that still seeping out blood, while Sayaka just opened and closed her mouth without sound, staring at the dark-haired girl with horrified look on her face.

Before Madoka could form up courage and word to speak, the white rabbit-cat thing interrupted first._ 'Do not worry Madoka-chan, puella magi can endure such fatal injuries without problem, she'll be fine, that much I can assure you.'_

"Kyubey…" Madoka called out to the creature, who proceed to move past the struggling Mami who's now getting pressed against the floor once again by the effort of both Oriko and Kyoko, before stopping right next to the pink haired girl and starring directly into her eyes.

As if noticing worries inside her mind, Kyubey motioned his head to Homura who narrowed her sight on the creature while kneeling down on the floor and turn her attention back to her wound, while Marisa, Alice and Patchouli do the most sensible thing most normal human should do when there's a wounded in their home, rushed to get the nearest medical kit stored inside the house to tend to it, and then it speak again _'As I said, puella magi's contract comes with many benefits, and one of it including high resistance to pain and tolerance of otherwise fatal wounds.'_

"What?" this time it was Sayaka who exclaimed in surprise, seemingly forget the more pressing matter like the relation between witch and puella entirely. "And I thought that my healing ability is unique to my own this whole time…"

Kyubey shook his head, ignoring the glare from redhead puella who now want nothing more than strangle the little neck of his for the truth that just came to light recently and explain to Sayaka further _'You can heal far faster than other magical girls thanks to your wish, Sayaka-san, what I'm saying is that, magical girls who formed contract with my kind has better survivability than normal human thanks to separating their soul from their body… which in turn lessen the pain they received through receptors, and that they can instinctively consume their own magic to heal their wound as well.'_

This time, Kyoko was the one who surprised, and exclaimed out loud, letting her guard slipped a little which nearly resulting in Mami break free if not because of Oriko still helping restrain her and shouting to get redhead's attention back. "What did you just say? Separating souls from our bodies?"

Not noticing Oriko's frown, or the smirk from the nine-tailed fox as if he's about to fall into some kind of trap, Kyubey tilted his head in Kyoko's direction and asks back, almost innocently, while nodding at the bright red gem adorn her chest… _'Why did we name those 'Soul Gem' as such, if it was not because that's where your soul went to after you completed the contract? Miss Kyoko…'_

"You bastard!" the redhead growled in anger, if not because she has to restrain Mami like this, she's sure to skewer the little creature with her spear already, but she still free to use her mouth nonetheless. "You turned us into a Zombie! And don't feel that's important to tell us before? And I'm not even getting into that confession of yours to these people around here! We will become witch later on when our Soul Gem… no… **Our Own Soul fully corrupted!?**"

Even with the shout of rage at the end of her sentence, Kyubey did not fazed one bit, instead, he glanced around the room, from Ran, Madoka, Homura and Sayaka to three magicians (not that he know about this fact, of course) who just entered the room with medical kit, Mami who was pinned down on the floor, her face staring back at the white creature as if hoping that what those revelation one floor below earlier is not true, that they're not going to turn into a witch, to Oriko whose stare could only interpreted as "Don't you dare telling lie in front of me, who already know the truth!"… as if he's contemplating the course of action to take next.

At last, he finally answers while Homura being tend to by Patchouli, who started chanting some kind of healing magic on her alongside Alice who pulled out the girl's blouse to patch up her wound with mundane means, this time starring at Madoka as if he was answering her question _'You all overheard the conversation below earlier don't you?'_

That seems to pissed off the redhead even more, as she yelled back on top of her lung. "Stop zigzagging around my question and tell the truth already, Kyubey!"

This time, the message get across to the creature, as he now replies bluntly _'Yes, Witches are former Magical girls like yourself, who let their Soul Gem, or as you phrased it, __**Your Own Soul**__ become ripe with corruption that it transform into Grief Seed, alongside the Magical girl body that transform into a witch…'_

A chilling cries of "Noooooo!" echoed throughout the room as Mami began her struggle once again, forcing both redhead and the owner of the Mikuni house to pressed their weight to stop her from getting up and do something they'd regret. However, these actions proves to enraged the distressed girl even more as she let out another cries, direct at the two who restrain her "Let me go! Kyoko, Oriko, why are you stopping me from doing what must be done now?"

"All I see now is that you're trying to murder my guests…" Oriko retorted back, using her magic-reinforced muscles strength to keep the girl pinned, a feat that she barely able to do consider that the target also superhuman like her, but at the very least, Kyoko seem to keep her emotion in check, even though she's just as pissed as the blonde puella if those fire in her ruby red eyes were any indication, and still able to keep holding the girl back. "…This's my house you know, and did Ran not tell you that she promised their parents that they'll be back tomorrow?" She added.

The blonde didn't calm down in the slightest, she screamed back. "Why you are so calm at knowing that such a horrible fate await us? Are you not feeling anything when you discovered that you'll become the very monster you fight against so hard in the future? Are you… are you…" She tried to form up word, while struggling to pointed her finger at Sayaka, who's now reduced to a sobbing wreck on her pink haired friend's shoulder, seemingly not care about what's going on around them anymore. "…are you going to let her, and yourself, become rampaging abomination consuming souls of countless innocent later? Isn't that means our witch-hunting being undone?"

Oriko opened her mouth once more, but before she can counter Mami, a blur shot past her and slapped squarely on Maimi's cheek with a loud noise, she looked at the owner of said hand and let out a sigh once she saw that it was Ran.

That shut Mami up instantly, while tears still flowing from her eyes, she look upon the nine-tailed fox who shot her a disapproving look, cheek redden and stung by the pain from the slap earlier, before Ran snorts "That's why I told you that you're just a child, your shallow thought is one that going to ruin everything your strive to do in the first place, and hers as well…" she motioned toward Sayaka.

But unfortunately, such a vague word cannot convince anyone to question their own wrongdoing, let alone a girls who just entered puberty a few years ago, and thus it was up to one of the adult, or rather, Alice, who just finished patching up Homura and decided to add her thought to the group, but not before pulling the blue haired girl out from Madoka and slapping her cheek as hard as she could to get the girl's attention first.

"What's that for? Miss Alice?" Sayaka's forlorn look dispelled in an instant, replaced with rage at the assault made by the woman, nearly forgetting about what made her face wet with her own tear until Alice glared at her and speaks loudly for everyone to hear.

"I know that your circumstance isn't one of the best…" Alice stated, her sapphire blue eyes glared back and forth between Mami, Sayaka and Kyoko, then addressing them slowly. "You think that by killing your fellow puella magi, and yourself like this to escape the fate of being turn into a witch the best option? Did you forget about the Walpurgisnacht that is coming to your hometown?"

Everyone was silence, not dared to interrupt the puppeteer as she continues "So you're going to leave this world, and let those people suffer and die? Are you going to let these hapless people…" she motioned her head at Madoka, who listening half-minded, while still look worryingly at every puella magi in the room with concern as if they'll fall over and turn into abomination at any moment "…eaten by the supernatural monster, or are you going to let her take up the same devil's contract as you, and go through all those in your place?"

"Even if we are all to commit suicide to avoid such fate…" Homura added, finally worked up enough courage to speak, while still rubbing her back where the bullet punctured through earlier as if to feel whether it was still there or not. "…you still ignoring the fact that Kyubey can find another contract to replace us anyway… it's effectively mean that you push these suffering, these dangers we faced, and responsibility to other girls instead…" She glanced at Madoka to emphasis her point.

Alice blinked at Homura's word before replies. "That's also another issue… your death serve nothing but make Kyubey find other girls to replace you, both magical girl's duty and of course… transformation into a witch…" She then turned toward the creature sitting beside Madoka "Right? Kyubey?"

However, before Kyubey can reply, it was certain black-white witch who destroyed the mood by muttering in astonishment at her puppeteer friend. "Wow, Alice… just… wow"

Alice looked at Marisa suspiciously and asks. "What is it, Marisa?"

"I don't know that you can put up a speech like that as well, seeing that you always live alone in that house with your dolls…" Marisa carelessly sprouted out the girl's secret, even though it's not fatal to reveal it to Incubator, it's still embarrassing…

So it's unsurprising that the statement made the puppeteer's eyebrow started twitching in irritation, even more cruel smirk formed up on her lip once she heard the snicker coming from Ran and Patchouli as well, however, she know better than to start a quarreling session with her friend and instead repeat her question to the white little creature again "Kyuby, you still haven't answer us… and don't try to lie to us!"

Kyubey was silence for a while before he speaks again. _'We do not understand the concept of 'lying' or 'deception' is Miss Alice, so rest assured that what I said, always said the truth…'_ then he answer her question _'As for your question, it's as you thought Miss, if they died here, I'll just move on to find another girl who're willing to contract, it's for the good of the universe after all, so I cannot stop…'_

"For the betterment of the universe you say?" Kyoko snorts in disgust "Turning us into zombie, then us turning into the very monster you destined us to fight? I don't see anywhere that'll make the universe better place, let alone a single earth we lived you Rabbit!"

Kyubey's ruby eyes look impassive as ever, his lip stuck in the cat-like smile as always while decision come to his mind that he must tell them all the withheld information now, especially the true objective of his contract, as it was the only chance to get Madoka, and by extension, Marisa, Alice and Patchouli to contract out of sense of selflessness and responsibility, or so he think, and thus he begins by asking two particular adults. _'Alice, Marisa, You two is scientist if I'm not mistaken, so I ask you, how much you know about __**Heat Death of the Universe?**__'_

The black-white witch and the puppeteer looking at each other for opinions before Alice nodded to the creature and replies. "Yes, we know about the process, don't tell me there're any releases of new energy to counteract that by witch or puella magi? And why you don't think this's the information that should tell your contract? I think that's important isn't it"

'_You're as sharp as one scientist could be, Miss Alice, although you understand that well, most of the girls I contracted with do not, and will not satisfy with such answer, so that's why I left out this information as it serves no purpose and pointless anyway.'_ Kyubey praised the woman, while his tail pointed toward the confused puella magi, most of them anyway as to tell Alice who he was referring to…

"Wait a sec…" Marisa blurted out, her golden eyes narrowed down on Kyubey. "You're blowing things out of proportion… Universe? Ha! Just what kind of energy did those witches release anyway! Their mass are just more like comparing candle to the sun! Even sacrificing the whole planet won't give you enough to prolong it even a single second!"

Kyubey looked at Marisa and shook his head while explaining _'You're talking about common form of energy, not this Magic Energy that puella and witches release…'_

Marisa raised her eyebrow at that. "What? You're saying that these tiny girls…" she pointed at the sobbing Mami, who still pinned to the floor by the two overly cautious puella magi, and then Madoka and Sayaka "…yield enough energy to help in that universe life extending mega-project of yours during the transformation into a witch? I find it hard to believe…"

'_But it is…'_ Kyubey replies nonchalantly _'the magical energy generated from such method, even from those who barely have magic potential can delay the heat death by a million years minimum, and for someone like you three, or Madoka… I estimate that you'll delay heat death by at least one quadrillion years [2], that's no tiny amount at all.'_

"But that mean it's more than millions years before it happen, why doing it now?" Sayaka asks, now as the sorrow and despair of the truth about puella magi and witches vanished a little from her mind by Alice's words, she now feels her rage and anger rising the more Kyubey trying to justify his actions of turning young girls like her into monsters, only restrained it barely by the pledging look from Madoka asking her nonverbally to not staring another fight here, and a glare from the nine-tailed fox that said clearly as _'If you try to do what I think you're going to do, I'll kick your ass again just like earlier.'_

But, instead, it was the purple haired witch who answers in Kyubey's stead from the couch she sat when no one was looking. "It's not important, we may measure 'time' in year, decades, centuries, as human cannot live for longer than that… but for something like him… or his kind… millennia for us might feel like a single year…"

Kyubey, listened to what the magician just said, turned to applaud her. _'It was well said, Miss Patchouli, I cannot get any better explanation than what you did…'_

Then he turned to address the group of non-contracted girls, ignoring the glare from Patchouli _'…that being said, you are not going to let the universe die young when you can do something about it don't you? Will you let your civilization reach for the stars only to find out that it'll die a few millennia later? This contract is a sacrifice to prolong…'_

He didn't get to finish his tirade however, as his body suddenly burst into a blue flame, turning him to ash in few seconds, and when everyone looked around for the source, they found a single, blue fire lit on Ran's palm, whose face still scowling at the sight of the burnt out remains of the creature.

"You're just pushing it now, Kyubey…" She said while clutched her hand, extinguish the blue flame in the process before looking at the girls, both contracted and potential contract and sigh in annoyance. "And you… its midnight already, and tomorrow is school day, so go back to bed and sleep! You're going to make a run back to your city in the morning!"

Faced with order from 'the strongest one of the house' the girls can only comply, with Madoka and Sayaka being the first group to hesitantly get up, understandable, as after Kyubey second death, the awful truth began to surface back on their mind with solution nowhere in sight except keep hunting for grief seeds to delay one's transformation day by day, and it shown clearly in the blue haired girl's eyes that still red from all sobbing earlier and has sign of depressed mood all over her face.

Noticing this, Homura who's the closest one got up, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder making her nearly jump out of surprise, her purple eyes scanning the girl carefully before letting out a sigh of pity and speak softly to the two. "You're not the only one who has to bear the curse of contract, I, and even them…" she waved her hand at the other two puella, who just released Mami from their grip and let her stand up, but still keep an eye on her cautiously. "…share the same situation, aren't we? Don't try to do something you'll regret later on."

"Remember that, even if you wanted to die so that you won't turn into witches, there're still plenty of girls, young, innocents out there for Kyubey to deceive and make contract with without our knowledge…" Oriko added while slowly moving toward Homura to check on other's wounds before she look right into Madoka's eyes "They'll be throw into the same deal, some might not even realized it until the moment of their demise, when they turn into the very thing they was told by that creature to fight… some may not realize it at all… ask your conscience whether that's your fault for dying today or not…"

"And of course, there still Walpurgisnacht that's coming…" Homura reminded tiredly "if there's no one to fight it, that's the perfect opportunity for Kyubey to drag more and more girls to a suicide mission at hands… and I can tell that **they… will… all… die…**" She slowly emphasis each word to get the weight of the situation across, before resume her normal tone as if she was reading the report. "It's a logical conclusion after all… you just contract not a minute ago and being sent to fight the strongest monster ever lived… how much chance do you have?"

"I get it, I get it…" Kyoko said out loud with annoyance in her voice while dismiss her puella magi uniform and landed on the bed, and then she look back at the group. "Don't worry pal, I'm not going to take my own life or yours for that matter…" She sighed desperately while avert her eyes to look at her own soul gem in her hand. "…Geez, what a horrible night to have a curse…"

"You're wrong, Kyoko-san…" Marisa blurted out at that instant, causing everyone to look at her before she continues. "…The exact word should be 'What a horrible night to hear this awful truth.' am I right, ze?"

Even everyone knows that it's not a good time to laugh at the lame joke, but a few of them do chuckled anyway, particularly Ran, and Oriko who already get used to the way Marisa used to defuse such stressful situations, much to the serious one like Alice's and Patchouli's dismay.

Another newcomer who also feels a little lighten up by the joke is the redhead, as her lip curled into a small smile, before yawning and mocking her peers for their awaiting workload tomorrow. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about going to school anymore, good luck for you guys then…"

Ran choose that moment to knelt down, letting her hand touched the floor, her magic flared up before it spread out from her palm covering the entire room in an instant, surprising everyone yet again, but at least, they know enough that there's nothing they can do to prevent her from doing whatever she pleased and stay quiet when she explains "Just to make sure someone here's not going to get up and try to kill other in their sleep, if they do… well…" she chuckled and stopped all the sudden.

"What's so funny Miss Foxie…? Don't tell me you're going to squish us to the ground again?" Kyoko inquired from her bed, too tired to get up.

Ran dropped her smile before putting up the scarier one and stare at Mami, who still look distress and seem ready to kill other puella despite all those reasons they conveyed to her. "It'll prevent them from trying to kill other or themselves, obliviously…" She replied vaguely before continues, this time directed at Mami. "I hope that you realized the futility of such course of action by now, if those reasons cannot get into your head, then perhaps removing your head from your body will make you wise up…"

Mami's face paled at her word, however the one who was affected by that threat the most is Madoka, who stammered out in horror. "Miss… Ran… why you say such thing… they'll die…"

"Don't you already hear that little rabbit?" Ran countered back while still smiling "Soul Gem is exactly the Soul of Puella magi, as long as it's intact, even if your body disintegrated, you still alive, so if taking out her head will make her calm down, then I think that's not out of option yet."

Unconsciously, the image of Homura taking the bullet to the heart and still live surfaced back in their mind again, making the girls shuddered and decide that it's time to rest. So they climbed up to their bed, and fall asleep, even Mami who looks distress earlier now wore a calm expression on her face while she dropped on her bed.

But when Ran, the three magicians, and Oriko is about to depart (Homura choose to stays with Madoka's group, as it would be suspicious if she get special treatment after all.) that Mami finally asks once more "Wait… Miss Oriko… Miss Ran…"

The girl, who just dispelled her magical robe and returned back to her normal black dress stopped and turn back to face her fellow who huddled with her own knee on her bed, while the nine-tailed fox along with three magicians did not turn but still waiting to hear what the musketeer has to say, and that was enough to provoke a reaction from her.

For a second, the blonde hesitate, but in the end she decides to shift her posture and bow to them. "I thank you… for stopping me from trying to kill my own juniors, preventing me from dooming Mitakahara to the mercy of Walpurgisnacht…" then she turned to faced her junior who has yet to sleep, both Sayaka, Kyoko and Homura stared back in anticipation and… surprise… when she bowed to them as well "…I'm sorry for trying to kill both of you, I'm too… short sighted… and let my emotion run rampant again…"

Oriko then offered to the group of puella "I still have enough stockpile of Grief seeds to share, if any of you running low… I'll give you one, after all, we have the same enemy, same curse have we not? We should help each other…"

Ran then adds "If you want to thank anyone, you better thanks Alice, Marisa and Patchouli as well, at least they have their parts in making you realize how short-sight your action was…"

Mami nodded to Ran, wiping off trails of tear on her cheek and bow to the three magicians. "I thank you all too, for being the voice of reason for me… for us… if you're not here today…" she sniffed again "I don't know, I might kill them and myself, thinking that it's the only way out already…"

Three magicians did not respond beyond telling them to go to bed, and that they're all tired, so it's for the best to save the conversation for the later… something which everyone agreed…

And so the house fell silent for the night…

Sometimes later, Madoka woke up by some strange noise coming from the window by her bedside, she fumbling around in the dark for the alarm for a while until she realized that she's not at her own house anymore, and then it hit her that the window didn't have a curtain either yet the outside was still dark with a silver lining of light shining on the horizon, making her known that the morning has yet to come.

Once her sight adjusted to the darkness, she look around the rather spacious room she was in, only to saw Sayaka lie in bed, snoring next to hers, while on the other side is another bed with blonde haired girl curled up in the blanket, and another two empty bed…

The noise from the outside has yet ceased, and despite not that loud it still enough for her on the second floor to hear that she surprised why her friend and her senior did not notice it and wake up, she peeked out of the window…

At first, she saw nothing much but a blur on the demolished rose garden, however, when she squint her eyes and getting used to darkness, what she found was astounding…

White and dark blur she saw was in fact Oriko and Homura respectively, both of them were engaging each other in close and medium range combat. They move around the garden, throwing punches, kicks and projectiles at each other while jump, dodge, and block their attacks repeatedly, without much of a success of landing a direct hit on their adversaries at all.

Not knowing why they suddenly pick a fight early this morning, Madoka decided to do the most sensible thing for a kind girl like her must do, she rushed out of the bedroom, hurried down the stairs and ran toward the main entrance and exit into the garden, aimed to stop them from fighting pointlessly against each other as they both were puella magi…

"Please! Homura-chan, Miss Oriko… sto… mpphh…!?"

But her attempt was foiled by a small hand, not much bigger than hers, quickly clamped her mouth shut the moment she exited the compound, before the owner of that hand dragged her back into the safety of the house while hissed annoyingly as if she just ruined her fun. "What are you doing runt? Do you have a death wish running off into fight like that?"

"Ky…ko… san" Madoka mumbled while trashing around wildly trying to make the older girl loose her grip, an effort in futility as she's just a normal girl against supernatural empowered one, and so she can only struggle in the older girl's arms without success.

Kyoko, in her usual green jacket and shorts sighed before speaking more, trying to calm the pink-haired girl down. "Look carefully, your friend and the landlady over there aren't trying to kill each other. They're just sparring…"

At that, she put her hand that keeping Madoka's mouth shut back, and let her talk again while still holding another arm around her waist to keep her from running out again, which is unnecessary as the girl only managed to ask Kyoko meekly. "Um, Kyoko san, you say they're sparring?"

The redhead blinked in confusion, before it hit her that this girl never get into a fight herself even once, so she won't understand something that fighters would know, and thus she explains. "You can call it guts instinct, but I know that those two aren't going to kill each other OK?"

Seeing Madoka hasn't convinced and still looked worried at the fight, where Homura teleporting around trying to hit Oriko from different angle, whether it by kicking, punching or using some kind of beam attack [3] from the gem embedded on the back of her right hand, while Oriko, although lack the instant teleportation ability of Homura, somehow effortlessly dodged all incoming attack, no matter where they came from or how close they are, and also escaped any attempts from the dark haired girl to trap her by utilizing flight at some points to avoid in three-dimensions, something which Homura cannot do, as if she could read the other's mind thoroughly and predicted her movement accurately.

As the battle unfold before her, Madoka could clearly see that Kyoko has a point, as even she can felt the joy from both opposing parties, the air around them held no malice or ill intention between them, only thrill of battle against someone of equal performance...

"Geez… they're really enjoyed themselves…" Kyoko muttered snapping Madoka out of trace to pay attention to the redhead, who already released her grip on Madoka at some point when she's not noticing, and now contented to lean against the wall of the Mansion while watching the fight. "After all those shits revealed yesterday, they still feel nothing about building up their own corruptions and has to spar in the next morning…"

True to Kyoko's word, that revelation yesterday had driven Mami into near madness, had not because of the trap set by Ran, coupled with what amount of comforting words and reasoning by the adults at the time, she was sure that her senior would've killed all of them and commit suicide afterward already, and even now, Madoka still doubt that Mami has recovered enough to make decision properly, not to mentioned Sayaka… her longtime friend… who also succumbed to the same deal.

These facts, they almost make her think, pessimistically, that the reason for both of them has yet to wake up despite this commotion, was that they tried to bury the truth, ignore them and told themselves that what happened yesterday was just a dream.

But, to see these two puella magi sparring in a friendly match, as if the event yesterday never happened is unsettling in the young's mind, Madoka begin to wonder what's going on, why they still act normally like it never happened, like they never heard that truth from Kyubey?

It seems that Madoka has pondered in her thought too much, as her side caught an elbow from the redhead who looks like she's annoyed at something, presumably, her… if what she said is any indication… "Hey, why make a face like that? You don't even contract with that little bastard yet did you? There's nothing to be 'fret about!"

Madoka rubbed her side where the elbow landed, looking at Kyoko apologetically for ignoring her before decided to ask her first "Kyoko-san…"

"Hm?" The red puella acknowledge the girl, but has yet to avert her eyes from battle. And Madoka took that as a sign to continue with her question.

"How… do you feel… when Kyubey revealed that… that…"

She didn't get to finish the sentence when Kyoko growled in anger at the mention of that thing's name, eyes still not bother to look at her yet. "…Of course, I want to kill him! Even know that killing him won't stick for so long, speaking of which, I don't see him after that fox burned him to crisps, guess he know when to give up and stay the hell away from someone's wrath…"

Then she turned toward Madoka, arm crossed while glaring at nothing in particular and tell the girl. "I'm angry at that rabbit for putting me in this position, but hell, that was a given, why do you have to ask something this oblivious huh? And if you're doing this to try to protect that bastard or contract with him even when you know all that, then I'll kick your ass!"

Madoka took a step back when the redhead shout at her last word before quickly apologize meekly. "I'm sorry, Kyoko san… I just… just…"

Kyoko waved her hand dismissively before warn her in a softer tone. "Curiosity kills the cat, kiddo, just think before you ask next time, and by the way…" She looked at the battle of stalemate again, decided that it won't end any time soon and turns back to answer Madoka "…you ask what I'm thinking now? Well, after that nap, I guess nothing can be done, the contract already made for me, so I guess I'll have to cherish every single moment I have left…"

"Huh?"

Kyoko now look at the dimly lit sky signify the incoming dawn, sighing tiredly before continues whether Madoka still listening to her or not. "This revelation made me think back to the past you know… I once told by my father that I'm a monster, guess he was right…" she chuckled bitterly "…how foolish of me back then… to never see through that bastard's deception and forged a contract with him…"

"Kyoko-san…" Madoka called out her name, but not sure what to say to this puella magi, a stranger she just met only yesterday who at first show to be a jerk contrast with every ideals she had in becoming magical girl, only to learned the harsh truth about the so-called 'contract' soon afterward and as today, started showing her other side for other to see.

Right now, as she saw her friend, her senior, who become the victims of the contract that withheld information from them suffered from learning such truth, she begin to feel hapless once more, unable to do anything to help her friends, also unsure which course of action she should take, and can she bear the consequence of such decision? Will her friends and those she cared about grateful for that?

That was the unspoken question she wished to ask, yet she couldn't put it into word or courage to ask it out loud, for doing so will open the old wounds of those who deceived by Kyubey, something she feel regret after the word left her mouth a moment earlier.

The redhead shook her head and stared into Madoka's eyes. "…But, after all those… I'll say this to you, do not take the contract no matter how sweet it is… if it was me earlier I might give you a reason that you're going to compete with me for grief seeds…" She sighed "… but now, aside from that, I just don't want anyone who I came in contact with to suffer the same fate as I am… or your friend and Mami… and those girls…"

Kyoko then said with conviction "I decide that I'll keep on living, just to foil that damn bastard wherever he went, after I stockpiled enough Grief seeds for my quests of course…" however at those word she went silent for a moment, her face sadden a bit, muttering quietly "…I think it's the best thing I can do to honor those fallen girls, being use by someone who's going to put a stop to Kyubey's plan, and revealing the truth to those who lost in the way of life and try to take easy way out via devil's contract… pulling them out from the jaw of abyss…"

Then her face brightens again, letting out a chuckle "Heh, what a weird thing I've said, like something my father would say, hope you're not gonna tell anyone about it, especially that girly knight friend of yours?"

Of course, she has the status quo to keep, after all…

Madoka look strangely at the redhead, her heart scream out that what she just did was a fake smile and false cheery voice, knowing that deep down Kyoko wasn't a bad person, she's hurt to know that what she see as treasure, as property to be harvested, was once someone who has been deceived by Kyubey, including her who might end up like them someday… and from her own word, which she somehow felt that it's her vow, her promise, trying to make amend… even though she do not want to admit it to someone who she has wronged in the past like Sayaka or Mami… probably some form of self-punishment, but Madoka didn't think up to that point as it's too much for someone of her age to understand yet…

But there still lies a question asked by the redhead, a request which she reluctantly not want to agree with it as she think that it's better if Kyoko will reconcile with other, however, before Madoka could give her answer, the light shone from Kyoko's body, and died down a second later, revealing the girl in her crimson red outfit of a puella magi, spear slung on her shoulder while begin to walking pass her as if she didn't want answer from that question earlier at all. "That fox allow me to leave if I didn't want to stay, say she only promised to keep me there to teach me a lesson, and said lesson is the truth revealed yesterday…"

Madoka blinked at her word, her answer earlier died in her throat with the more pressing concern. "You're leaving already? Wait, I never remember Miss Ran said that before?"

Kyoko shrugged. "Yeah, woke up because of those two sparring, about half-hour before you came here I guess, met that fox here…" she pointed the tip of her spear at the main door "…as if she know I'm coming, asked me not to interrupt their duel, then told me all those… satisfied?"

Without waiting for Madoka, Kyoko took a few steps into the garden, cause the two combatants to stop their own sparring session as well least they cause some misfire during the fight. Oriko levitated down to the ground while Homura reappeared in front of the redhead not even two steps away, starring stoically at her.

Kyoko grinned at greet them with a strangely polite tone unfitted for someone who was a jerk to Sayaka and Mami just yesterday. "Well, I'm going out now, can you please open the way? Time is of the essence, and I don't want to laze around when the opportunity to hunt more Grief Seeds presents itself" 'like school day where most of puella has to go there like this…' she added mentally.

Homura did not bulged away and still gazing at the ruby orbs of hers as if trying to read her mind, before finally gave up and asks in even tone, trying best to devoid it of emotion, yet it still laced with concern. "We just done sparring anyway, need someone to go with your hunt?"

There's a reason for her concern, after all, the truth hurts, especially something like this will definitely hurt them deeply, teenage girls, who still unprepared, inexperienced, will be even more vulnerable, despair, cannot make proper and reasonable decisions, like what Mami nearly did last night had not because of Ran's, Oriko's and Kyoko's efforts to stop her. So when Kyoko decided to leave this morning when most of the girls, well, particularly Mami and Sayaka still sleeping, it's a given…

Kyoko seem to noticed that too and so asked back, quite rudely "Hey! What do you think I am? I'm not that weak to suicide because of that matter!"

That words confirmed something for Homura, as the dark haired girl let out a sigh of relieve before sidestep away from the redhead's path, and so Kyoko begin walking again.

But when she was about to pass the landlady of the house she stayed in last night, Oriko suddenly shifted her hand a little, something appeared in her hand and with lightning quick reflex, tossing it toward Kyoko!

The redhead puella nearly swing the spear down on the white dress puella when she noticed what has been thrown toward her and stretched her hand out to grab it. Then looking at the landlady once she confirmed what it… no… _they_ really were in surprise.

Oriko put up a small smile before explaining her action. "You just depleted all the Grief Seeds you carried on your person in the last battle against Ran, yes?"

Have nothing to lose from telling the truth, Kyoko nodded, and prompt Oriko to continue. "Those will help you before you can get more… I'm not implying that you can't beat any witches you encounter, but it's unwise to go into battle underprepared yes?"

Kyoko looked at two Grief Seeds in her clutch again, before tugging them away in her dress. "Thanks for the treat, I'll come back here if I lost it then, See ya!" with that she ran past them toward the fence with the landlady standing still waving her goodbye.

"Always welcome…" Oriko lowered her hand while watching the girl jumped out of the fence surrounding her house, slipped away from her vision, then added sadly. "…after all, we're comrades who suffering through all these curses together aren't we?"

"…" Homura did not say a word, only motioned her hand toward the house.

"Ah, yes, I believe that Miss Alice should be up preparing breakfast now…" Oriko mused then clapped her hands together "Oh, you have school today don't you? Well, let's wake others up and get them ready then…" With those words, she quickly transforms back to casual clothes and walk back toward the house, while Homura just vanished, probably '_teleported_' directly to the room Mami and Sayaka resided to save time.

At those conversations Madoka suddenly reminded her of her own unanswered questions in her mind about becoming puella magi, seeing that Kyoko's answer couldn't gave her the insight, and decided that she should ask the Landlady about her opinion on that matter, and thus, she wait for her at the main entrance…

Because she can asks Homura the questions during their lunch break later on… while she's not sure when will she meet Oriko again…

* * *

**Author's Note:**

[1] Search Google about it, specifically Shark repellant Bat spray, it's hilarious as it sounded, well, it won't be that hilarious if not for the fact that aside from Shark Repellants, Batman also had Manta ray, Whale and who know what repellant sprays which don't shown on screen strapped to that helicopter of his as well especially when it was clear that no one will ever anticipated such event to occur near the shore, making it sounds even more crazy...

[2] Quadrillion equal to one thousand million million, 1,000,000,000,000,000 if you want the number.

[3] You can see Homura using this beam in Episode 1 of the Anime… go ahead and re-watch it…

nased0 Not that I didn't considered that option, but to do so mean spin this fic's rating up to M as well, as they're now I have to says that my fiction already skirt the line at the moment, what's with those metaphors and psychology stuff I packed on it.

_As usual, if you find anything weird, or outright destroy suspension of disbelief, or someone being out of character, please tell me!_

Sorry for the lack of actions in this chapter, well it can't be helped, and also sorry for the delay too... well, what I'm expecting when you're diverting from the original path, as you have to making things without reference at all aren't we?

Review as you see fit, until next time... And to be continues in the next chapter…


	15. Chapter 14: Those who stand resolved

**Puella Magi Mystical Chain Magica 14**

**Chapter 14: Those who stand resolved**

It was a good fight, thought Oriko while she walking back toward her own house, humming in quite happy tune despite the revelation last night, as she and Homura decided to spar against each other when both found themselves woke up quite early… too early in fact, seeing that everyone has yet to wake up. She agreed with the stoic girl only because she hoped to see if the girl has finally accept her as fellow comrade to be trusted, or she still see her as the one who murdered Madoka or not…

Well, when she think about it, technically it's not her, but her alternate self in alternate timeline, but still the similarity is hard to distinguish as they're also technically the same person, and Oriko couldn't tell that if not because of her meeting with Marisa, Alice and Patchouli, will she decided to try to murder the apocalypse maiden again or not, so she couldn't blame Homura for being paranoid… not at all…

And so they fought, Oriko could feel it the moment they clashed against each other that the girl's claim to have repeated time loop over and over again isn't an empty word at all, her experience, her skills, all reflected in every actions she performed, every decision she made, had not because Oriko trained under care of her teachers for a while, she know she, or even Mami and Kyoko, wouldn't stand a chance against this Puella magi at all…

As they exchanged blows after blows, Oriko found out to her dismay that Marisa's teaching about _'Those feeling that cannot described in word always found its ways to expressing out via battle.'_ Is something that easier said than done, of course, Oriko is not an expert in reading mind, nor she can _'feel the hidden meaning'_ from each punches and kicks her opponent delivered. And when the battle ended, the only thing she could read from the girl was that she felt uncertain toward her, nothing more nothing less…

But those uncertainties vanished instantly the moment Homura left the scene with her 'teleportation' leaving her to walk back toward the mansion alone, or not…

Madoka, the girl whom, once contracted with Kyubey, will eventually become supernatural abomination capable of destroying multiple realities to the point that she'll render the 'saving universe' modus operandi of Kyubey a moot point in an instant, was standing there, next to the main door, waiting for her to come back from sparring, or just there to send goodbye to Kyoko.

Of course she's waiting for her, Oriko correct her thought, as there are no other reasons for her to lingering around here this long, not after Kyoko and Homura already gone like this…

So, Oriko dispelled her battle garbs, returning to her elegant black dress and then approach the pink haired girl who had starring at her for quite a while now.

Once they're next to each other, when Oriko begin pushing open the door, the girl called out to her, albeit hesitantly and nervous as if she afraid that it'll upset her for denying her warm bath and change of cloth who after earlier tiring sparring match. "Miss Oriko, can you spare your time to speak with me for a moment… please?"

The elder girl contemplate her options in silence, trying to ignore the pledging, uncertainty look the pink haired girl shot at her, not letting it interfere with her logics, before she banished the thought of using this chance to end the impending apocalypse in the fastest way possible right here and now by killing the girl, out of her mind completely. As she reasoned in her mind, it's not only betraying Homura's trust, but also her teachers, who also know this fact but forbid themselves from doing so for the future never set in stone and they will give her a chance, as well.

Sighing as if she just passed through tough decision, she closed the front door silently, and turned to confront the smaller girl while wearing neutral expression on her face. "Go ahead, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?"

Madoka tensed up a little at the cold neutral voice of the elder girl, as if she wasn't expecting she to behave like Homura during the first few days after the transfer, which scared her quite a bit as she wondered if the truth of contract bearing down on the poor unfortunate Landlady has changed her for this, making her felt that she should avert the cold gaze of her neon-green eyes and run away, yet the more sensible part of her mind prevent that, as she know Oriko would meant no harm on her... well, if she only knew, it's just temporary, not now… at least…

And Oriko probably saw this too, as she shook her head and speaks with a softer tone, lips curls up into a sad smile "Sorry for bothering you, it seem whatever you wanted to ask me had to do with my… condition was it? And that you're considering making contract with Kyubey at the moment right?"

Madoka stammered a bit, she took a step back which make the older girl sighed and chided her "Please, your curiosity isn't that unwelcome. In truth, I've to compliment you that you're wise enough to ask other first before making decision about that, particularly the contract..." then her face hardened, her arms crossed, and spoke with grim expression "And I agreed with Homura's decision to not let you contract, in fact, she was against the idea even when your friend… Sayaka was she? Trying to follow her senior's footstep as well…"

"H… how could you know that?" Madoka asked, barely contained her surprise that the girl knew so much about what's going on around her despite they just met a second time.

"Homura told me…" Oriko supplies her with partial truth, as she still wished to keep her clairvoyance a secret until the time was right. So she returned to the original matter they were discussing "… I have to agree with Miss Homura on the matter of contracting and become Puella magi like us, as you already know last night, it's not… without consequence…"

"But… I can only stand on a sideline, only watching and cannot help my friends at all…" Madoka voiced her thought, looking disturbingly scared and uncertain. "…it made me feel useless somewhat… while my friends and sempai risked their life to fight…"

"You know that what we fought was once the human like us?" Oriko sighed. "We're not fighting some carnivorous animal here, but a tragic abomination who once a human like you… like me… who never once realized the weight of their choice, and quite ironically, me and the rest of Puella magi too…"

"H… how can you deal with that… after all these revelations…?" Madoka asked only to quickly look at the ground to avoid Oriko's gaze while apologize. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you…"

"None taken…" Oriko replies evenly "… there's a saying _'Past cannot change'_ Miss Kaname…" of course she deliberately left certain someone else's ability out as it won't serve the lesson she's about to teach the apocalypse maiden who has yet to become one "… the contract is no exception to this rule, once you sealed the deal, there's no turning back…"

Whether Oriko trying to derail the matter by sidestepping the question or not, Madoka never know, as she's trying her best to understand what she was saying, luckily that Oriko bring back the point she wished to ask after that. "…Now the best I can do is to ensure our survival against the Walpurgisnacht first, no point in moping about the _'Devil's contract'_ I signed…"

"And to tell the truth…" Oriko added, ironic chuckle escaped her lip as she stare at the morning sun rising over the horizon. "As much I hated to admit it, this whole _'Deal with the Devil' _at least gave us some means to achieve that feat, even it's not a pretty one…" She let out a hallow laugh at that and stop a moment before continues. "…I believe we could pull it off, I hope that it would ensure no one has to take up the mantle where we left off succumbing to that contract… like us…"

Madoka feel unsettling by the way Oriko phrased her own fate and thus she makes it clear to the older girl, even though muttering in a small voice on a verge of crying. "You seem… I don't know… relaxed after all these things. If it was me, I'm probably crying and not even lift up from bed now…"

"Like I said, regretting it would serve me nothing but make me drown in the past, unable to move forward…" Oriko repeat her point of reason again, before trying to convince the girl not to take up contract with her next sentence. "Me, and Homura are willing to fight any witches, including the Walpurgisnacht, at least to ensure that no more girls like you have to contract Kyubey for the sake of saving their home… after that is done… well… let get past the Walpurgisnacht first… because our survival chance are quite slim if we cannot get our shape up to standard…" She chuckled.

However, the name of that creature seem to strike something in Madoka's brain as she recalled the conversation last night, what Kyubey said about Heat Death of Universe and decided to asks Oriko about it. "And… about what Kyubey told us… the death of our Universe?"

Oriko paused at that word, not because she's surprise that the subject was brought up, but because she's already pondering what Kyubey just told them to justify his cause for a while and has yet to find concrete answer whether or not it was true or what's her opinion on the topic. She looked at the morning sun, lost in thought, ignoring Madoka's stare altogether while she search for answer and find an appropriate word to describe it.

No, she's not going to ask Marisa, Patchouli or Alice about it, _since that would be their opinion and not hers_, not mention that they're not native to this Universe in the first place, all they care, why they're here is only to stop a threat to their Universe in the form of Madoka's Witch form, should she take up the contract without thinking that is.

A gentle wind breezed through the two people, blowing the gray ponytail of the older one around while barely has an effect on Madoka's due to her short hair, this lasted for a brief moment then stopped, but that's what made something clicked in Oriko's mind, the answer she search for, her opinion on Kyubey's agenda.

She turned her attention back to Madoka when the latter started to look uncomfortable with the silence and her apparent ignorance, and give her answer "…if you ask me about that 'Heat Death' or whether or not you should take up this curse just to prolong its coming, I have this to say…"

Oriko then paused a little, stared intently at Madoka to check and make sure that the girl now has her attention on her word, as an attempt to tell her that what she's about to discuss is a serious topic, before continue once Madoka looked at her, telling that she was ready, so she continues. "…Everything that has the beginning also has the end… and that included the Universe, what Kyubey and his kind trying to do is the futile attempt to prolong one's existence, denying the inevitable…"

"For me, his operation can go to hell for all I care…" Oriko stated calmly, however her eyes was gleaming with controlled fury "Even if I lived long enough to witness the Death of the Universe, I'd rather face it with dignity than run and hide or trying desperately to do something you cannot. Even if your so-called 'contract' with Kyubey would provide Universe another millennium or so year for life to live on… and then what? The end comes anyway, Kyubey even tell that himself wasn't he?"

Madoka doesn't know what to say, thus she stay silent, looking at the sunrise while contemplating what she just know, the opinions of two different girls who she never know of until now, weighting whether she should trust them or not, or rather, how could she save Sayaka from this accursed wish she made? How can she help her senior Mami?

Seeing the confused and uncertain look in the younger girl's eyes, Oriko knew that it would take time for her to understand that the contract isn't a necessity by any mean, and that she should live her life as normal girl or at least seek to gain power without using this 'Shortcut', after all, she just hit puberty a few years back and not yet adult, how could Oriko forget that?

Thus she decided to cut the conversation short and tell the girl something that's not outright deny her from forming a contract, but it's not the opposite either. "If you still unsure which path you want to take, why not talk to your friends? Me and Kyoko isn't exactly on a good term with your companions after all, well, not at the moment…"

The grey haired Puella chuckled a bit and continue. "We just barely know each other for a short time, you might not trust me fully yet, well at least your friends won't, thus my suggestion is not limit the question to only magical girls, ask the normal one, particularly your parents, caretakers, or teachers, sure... they're adults…" she raised her hand to stop Madoka from complaining about that fact "… but adults have more experience than you, in good and bad situations, even it may be not as severe as soul eating monster roaming the town, but they still see the world more than you do. If you afraid that they may call you a freak for sprouting these 'Witches' and 'Magical Girl' nonsense…"

Suddenly Madoka burst out as if she couldn't hold it anymore. "Wait, why are you calling yourself as nonsense?"

Oriko suppressed the urge to giggles at the pink haired girl's expense, trying hardest to keep poker face while explaining calmly as if she's reporting the weather. "Adults may not believe in what we have done of course! So just don't flat out tell them about these… and I assure you that you may find their advices… useful…"

Yes, definitely, as Oriko experienced herself, some of her own father's teaching has come back full-circle to her despite the man who taught her couldn't keep it, ironic as it may be, at least she's not that spiteful of her dead parent as before anymore...

"Oh…"

"And by the way…" Oriko said while narrowing her eyes at the girl's stomach, which started growling lightly and make Madoka's face turned red in embarrassment. "…I guess it because you're hungry, that explain why our conversation started derailing, and some obvious facts forgotten…" She then gesture toward the house, her nose sniffed out something in the air and chuckle. "Well, it seem Miss Alice has already cooking breakfast, I don't mind if you join us today"

Madoka seem stunned for a moment, then her eyes went wide as some horrible truth hit her, and then she blurted out if panic "Oh NO! It's Monday! If we don't catch the train now we'll late for sure!" After that she zoomed past Oriko, small hurricane seems to blow her grey hair around as the dust flew apart as to emphasis how fast the little girl was.

Shaking her head, Oriko walk into her house, intended to help Alice prepare the food for the unfortunate comrades who's many kilometers away from their school…

* * *

And so after the rude awakening of two more Mitakahara residents, the trio from nearby town quickly apologize the landlady that's also their fellow Puella magi for unable to have breakfast with them, then quickly dressed themselves up in school uniform and darted out of the Mikuni household as soon as possible, all the talks last night seem forgotten upon the impending doom that is called 'Late to School'.

After all, they still have to go to school as all the children, and it's the duty of a good child that drilled into their mind since their coming of age.

Luckily, the breakfast Alice made is something that could easily pack up in a lunchboxes, and so Oriko decided to let them borrow one for each, saying that they should return it the next weekend the latest, not that she's completely serious about it though, else she would just ask them to sit down and eat properly by citing that the _'experiment instant transportation'_ they saw after the battle against the Witch of Roses weeks earlier was already perfected and ready to use.

It just that her teachers approached her in the kitchen and demanded her not to remind them about it, after all, they, and Oriko herself, agreed that this 'normal teenager life' will help keeping them distracted from the Puella Magi's awful revelation for a little longer, after the reaction last night they came to a conclusion that they should talk about it after they calmed down, and they doubt they would if they still thinking about that.

Besides, using this invention when minds and mental is not stable just asking for misplacing destination, or some far worse troubles when you turned into energy and travelling through the power line.

However, this rush didn't applied to Homura, as she just remind them about her own 'Teleportation', saying that she'd catch up with Mami's group after breakfast, as she has some urgent subjects needed to discuss with residence of the Minuki's household, particularly, seeking advice from the Elder, or Ran, in their stead about the upcoming Walpurgisnacht. Something that she felt she's the only one who can do this. While she didn't say it out loud, others, particularly Madoka, guessed correctly that it has to do with the reaction of her friends to the truth revealed last night, and how disappointed Ran felt toward the two even before the event, no doubt that Ran wouldn't likely giving any advice to them anytime soon, thus the burden fell squarely on the dark-haired Puella to help out.

But before they could leave the household proper, Ran decided to raise the subjects of horrible truth about their contract with Kyubey once again, and somehow, the little contractor didn't appear to defend its modus operandi at all, as if he's done with the lot of them already after the truth surfaced. This is a blessing, at least for the Nine-tailed fox and the three magicians.

"Keep this to heart, young one, as power always comes at a price. And that the past cannot be change, once you get it done, there's no turning back. All you can do now is to do the best you can, and move forward without regret."

Her word of advice met with a silent, hollowed stare from the girls, particularly Mami, who looks like being on the verge of tears but try her best to swallow it in, Sayaka who quickly hide her face by staring down the floor, and Madoka who shot Homura for some help, but to no avail as the dark-haired girl is also unsure what to deal with the situation either.

The defuse come in form of Ran dismiss them by say to them in motherly voice, completely surprised them all as it was just yesterday that she trashed them all with both bodily harms and insulting yet also the truth words. "Just cool your head down and think about it later, now you have your duty of normal life to do first…"

And thus, one pink haired girl plus all Puella Magi, minus Homura and Oriko scurried out of the Manor, leaving the resident who just closed the door behind as the bus came to take them to their home city.

After all the girls crossed over the bound field covering their base of operation, those who left behind decide to move back to the manor and have their own breakfast. There's nothing hurry for Oriko who dropped out of the school after her father's suicide at all, and if the newspaper she snatched from the trash bin the other day was anything to go by, they seem to declare her missing already, and no one was looking for her except police which seem to do it for the sake of their duty.

After all, who'll want to associate themselves with a daughter of a corrupted politician like her father? Even her schoolmates distanced themselves from her the day after the suicide, never to speak with her again. No point in getting back to school now even she wished that she could finish the education at least, but that must be the problem of another time, after she and her teachers figured out and beat Walpurgisnacht first, or there'll be no school to go back.

As for Homura, it's more like there's no current problem about school day that instant teleportation cannot fix.

So they sat around, enjoying their meals with no one trying to bring us something they already know from the last night, except one…

"Where's that little white Rabbit today?" Marisa suddenly blurted out, her golden eyes shifting quickly around the dining room searching for the aforementioned creature after she emptied her plate. "…I doubt he'll give up on us this easily, asking that girl **Right after the revelation**…"

"Is it that important to know where he was? I think it was better that he finally gone." Alice quipped instinctively, while admitted mentally that she still not dare to bring her dolls out to do the housework because she's a little paranoid of sort, and think that she'll bring them out to do it after Homura leave for her school first.

"I'll feel even more secure if we know for sure where he is, so he can't eavesdrop on us when we're not paying attention…" Marisa muttered under her breathe, but it's not low enough to not noticed by her peers around the table, with Patchouli nodding in agreement, and Alice let out a huff of annoyance but didn't say anything.

Oriko, as the Landlady of the house, seeing these and trying to dispel awkward atmosphere around the table by asking Patchouli, who Kyubey already know that she's a magic user. "Isn't the barrier you placed around your house being enough to keep him away? And do you have any way to sense his presence around?"

The one-week witch coughed a few times, sipping her tea before replying "A good observation… indeed, our bound field can detect anyone who's currently inside our perimeter, and I assured you, if Kyubey do not possessed any stealth method other than corporeal form that let only magic potential people see, my bound field will already set off an alarm telling me that he's inside already…"

"I see…" Homura spoke out after a sigh of relieve she let go, however, her paranoid steak built up after loop upon loop of timeline surfaced again, thus she ask more question. "But that doesn't mean he can just eavesdrop from outside our perimeter?"

Patchouli glared up at the dark-haired Puella magi with displeasure, causing her to paused mid-sentence and everyone tensed up a bit, after a minute of starring contest, the witch's gaze soften, before she let out a sigh. "Sorry, I just don't take insult… I mean when anyone doubts any subjects in my field of specialty well… sometime… I've spent centuries delved into it after all …"

"I didn't want to insult you or anything… I'm sorry…" Homura apologize politely.

But Patchouli shook her head and held her hand up to stop the two teens from speaking, not that Oriko going to speak anything anyway… before explaining to them. "The bound field also prevented any sound or any vision from leaving the property as well, so anyone from the outside cannot see or hear anything unless they penetrate it, which will alert me to the intruder… so rest assured now?"

Both Puella nodded and begin eating, albeit glancing warily at Patchouli time to time "I have to applaud you two for standing up and question Patchy…" Marisa clapped her hand silently while giving the two students of hers a smile, while Patchouli scowled for a moment before nod in understanding about what Marisa's trying to say. "…curiosity and questioning is the first step toward improvement and development, not even magic can exempt from this rule, well, most magic anyway…" she frowned while glancing at certain nine-tailed fox, but her eyes was as if to focus on someone who never been there. "And it's also part of leadership skills as well, after all if you have your followers acts all they wanted to without questioning if it good or bad, nor you cannot control them to some extent, then you in for a lot of troubles."

"I'm not sure if we can get to that point… Miss Kirisame…" Oriko voiced her thought, trying to ignore the giggling and a little blush from Marisa who still can't get used to being called like that even after all these time, then she turn attention to collecting her dish and preparing to leave at the same time as Homura. "But I think we're still lacking a lot of things, and I'm not the most confident person around…"

"Start adapting to it Oriko, Homura, even if you two are not the most combat-capable out there, but you are the most mature Puella magi around these area, mental wise of course, so you'll become their leaders once we are gone…" Alice spoke as a matter of fact, while make the girl who's about to leave the table to their respective duty pause and sit down again, as if they know that the lesson from their mentors isn't finished yet.

"I can see your reason about Homura here… Miss Alice…" Oriko nodded in understanding while glancing at dark-haired Puella who seated beside her, then turned to ask the puppeteer "…But why include me too? Wasn't Mami and Kyoko the most eldest Puella magi around here, discounting Homura's time-travel, aren't them experience enough to be a leader?"

Patchouli lowered her teacup after taking a sip from it, shook her head and explains to the confused Puella magi calmly, as a teacher would to a student. "When we talk about _'Maturity' _we did not talk about their age, my young apprentice, as the concept of 'Maturity' involved one that has all the quality found in adults…"

Patchouli coughed, so she taking another sip of tea, while Marisa is not quite bright in this area enough to fill them in, Alice then know without saying that she must be the one to continues what Patchouli left off, after all, they are their teachers, so sharing responsibility of their student's prowess, helping them improve, was their mutual goal, and thus she begin elaborating what her fellow was saying. "…You two keep calm and rational thought even in the direst situation… never acted out of emotion, unlike Miss Mami and Kyoko…"

She snorted at the mention of those two names before continues "…that's not only the qualification of Maturity, but also a basic skill for leaders as well… How can someone gaining trust if they let their emotion get the better out of themselves, wouldn't they send their underling to die in a fit of anger to exact revenge on those who anger them? Wouldn't they just keep sobbing when their plan fell apart around them? People who are in leader position should have those at the minimum…"

"We're not saying that we need you two to become absolute perfection in that area…" Alice adds up, passing the empty plate to the doll waiting behind who proceed to take it to the kitchen waiting to be wash. "Perfection is impossible, as one can chase after, but cannot achieve it, sounds pretty much like what Kyubey's way of saving the Universe isn't it?"

All around the table chuckled, before Patchouli cough to get their attention and said. "Now that I'm sure Kyubey was out of earshot, it's time I tell you my recent discovery…"

However, before she could speak any further, Alice shook her head while placing her hand on the magician's shoulder and interrupts the speech. "I wish we can have a discussion too, Patchouli, however, shouldn't Homura going to school now? It's almost time for the class to begin…"

Looking back at the clock which happened to sit next to calendar on the cupboard, Homura's eyes widen in shock, not because she was an honor student, but because the puppeteer's words reminds her of some events that almost always come to pass no matter how many times she rewinds the history! Something that always happen at the school, something that seemingly unrelated yet vital… if her teachers' opinion about getting as much reinforcement as possible is anything to go by...

"I've got to go now, thanks for the meal, and your help!" Homura said in a rush, then practically jumped out of the table and make a dash to the door, grabbing her bag along the way, slammed the door shut once she's out, leaving everyone stunned and surprised behind.

"Is there something that important she has to make a run for it like this?" Marisa asks no one in particular, not that anyone there will have any answer anyway…

Thus Patchouli coughs again before directing her word to the last Puella that have yet to leave the table "We can explain it to her another time, we still have about two weeks or so before the battle, a shame Sakuya could not come… but we must manage…" She paused a bit before continues "Now, we better explain it to you first Miss Oriko, and trust me, it may sounds like good news about your power, but it still open many more problems we… no**… you… have to face** if you wished to avoid the fate set by Kyubey when he develop this method of magecraft…"

"I guessed as much… Miss Patchouli…" Oriko remarked sarcastically. "It seem that nothing good ever come out at all when we delves deeper into this particular brand of magic… isn't it?"

"It never does, equivalent exchange, remember?" Alice said with a frown of annoyance "When you don't spend years of hard work to earn your magic, you spend something else, whether you know it or not, like what this contract..."

"No need to remind her of that too many times Alice…" Marisa interrupted Alice mid-sentence which earned herself a glare from said puppeteer, but the Black-White Witch just shrugged it off and continues her part when certain nine-tailed fox, who silent through the entire conversation, let out an impatient cough. "Now, let get down to business about Patchy's recent theory…"

* * *

It was at noon in town of Mitakahara and the students of the town's middle school started flocking out of their classroom to eat their lunch when some particular students, those who plunged into the world of magic and fighting monsters, decided to eat on the top of the roof as they did many days earlier again to discussing things among themselves without anyone prying onto them, or even if there were any, they'd have no place to hide on the flat surface of the rooftop at all.

But unlike the previous time, the atmosphere around the group was heavy, no giggling between girls, no gossiping or talking about school life, or anything else remotely happy. Everyone was in all time low morale, even someone who's not directly involved in the event that cause these all was depressed as well.

And so, they ate their lunch silently, glancing at each other once in a while when they thought the other was not looking, as if expecting them to say something to break this depression.

At last, the blonde student with golden eyes took her chance first by asking the pink-haired junior about something they just noticed, her tone filled with worries and… envy? But what, the receiver does not dare to ask. "Where's Sayaka, Madoka-chan?"

Madoka blinks several times before telling her senior hesitantly, not sure what to make out of her senior's strange question and the tone she used. "Hitomi-chan asked to have lunch with her, it seem they have something personal to discuss about…"

Mami nodded solemnly, her hands clenched, looking down on the floor, glancing back at Madoka once in a while, before finally adds regretfully. "At first, I thought that she'll seek comfort in her boyfriend's arms, seeing that she used her wish to help him, and it seem I jumped to that conclusion you know…"

"Mami-san…" Madoka tried to call her senior out, as it feel something is not right... of course, how could she forget about the truth revealed yesterday, even they tried to avoid that topic, but it seem the weight still bearing down all the same, related matter or not.

It's no surprise, given the psyche of Mami… She doesn't listen and keep ranting. "…And I envy her… that she can find comfort while I can't, Madoka… after all those things… I… I…"

"I won't say that things will get better soon or say that you should ignore it either, Mami… and I cannot give any advice only that you should think before you act… and that your death will bring nothing but condemned other girls into Kyubey's machination by taking advantage of your demise..." a cold, calculating voice echoed from behind the two girls, nearly make them drop their meals in shock at the sudden appearance of the newcomer.

Turning back, they see Homura in her school attire leaning back on the fence at the edge of the building, her sharp, cold dark eyes seem to leer onto them like a predator, yet still has a hint of pity in there, those only lasted for a second however, as she quickly ask them with concern when she noticed that someone is not there "Where's Sayaka?"

"Why everyone is worrying about her, and what about ME? Am I not cursed with that… that fate…?" Mami suddenly burst out, her eyes now on the verge of tear like last night again, completely forgetting other matter like how can Homura appears out of nowhere, or did she eavesdropped all those conversations or not and of course forget that, judging by her question, it's obvious that she didn't…

For Homura, seeing Mami, who was one year her senior (chronologically) breaking down like this made her frown while thinking back at what her new magical teachers just said that morning, now it make a whole lot more sense, after all, her teachers had seen more, heard more than her, who despite has repeating this time loop over and over again for who know how long, known nothing more than what happened in Mitakahara, know nothing more than repeat lessons from teachers of her school, and now that fact has come back to remind her that yes, repeat thousands loop of two months wasn't going to make her more experience than them at all.

Still, she pause her musing while looking at the now crying senior with Madoka trying her best, and failed to calm her down. She realized that she has more important matter to attend to, but she has to play her hand right not to reveal everything about her, thus a plan began to formulate, and she explain, or rather, pounding some sense into her senior with serious face. "She's your… our junior in all these, Mami, if you yourself reduced to this crying wreck when exposed to the truth, and you think Sayaka will be able to hold herself together better than you?"

That stopped Mami in her track, as she looking back at the frowning Homura, who used this chance to move up next to them and scold her senior with more harsh words even further, which is something she never once has the courage to try before in previous timeline, maybe it was because Marisa's brash and straightforward attitude influencing her? She never knows. "Look at you! Crying when something did not go your way, as if crying will make Kyubey sympathize with you and void the contract… or are you really believe that by crying you'll be able to get away from this curse befell all of us? Have all the speech you made last night a lie?"

"I… I…" Mami stammered, but no word came out.

"Homura-chan…" Madoka called out her friend's name, feeling that she has been too harsh toward their friend who had seen the beautiful world crumbling down around her, but to no avail.

"Miss Alice told me this morning that you asked Patchouli to contract to help against Walpurgisnacht the other day in hospital, and that you tell her that you'll protect this city at all cost but seek others' help, are your words just a hot air from your mouth? Are you going to retire, or suicide, and let other people fight Walpurgisnacht alone when you yourself said and already realized that it's impossible to do alone?"

"Enough!" Mami's scream interrupt Homura's tirade, Soul Gem on her hairpin glowing bright yellow and in a blink of an eye, her school uniform was gone, replace with her magical attire, hands clamped on matchlock rifle that appeared out of thin air, aiming right at the dark-haired girl who has yet to transform, not because she was too afraid to move or surprised, but because from the sight of quivering hands aiming the weapon at the center of her chest despite Homura's Soul Gem is the ring on her hand in plain sight to see, it was clear that Mami's not going to kill her yet, else she would try binding her down with her ribbon first.

For now, well maybe she'll get another hole through her chest, but it's not lethal to Puella Magi anyway, just have to remember patching the wound and clean the blood up before resume class, and of course, if Mami show any sign of using binding ribbon, she's now better trained, and better prepared, so there's no way that her senior will caught her off-guard again.

However, before both parties could do anything else, two small marbles impacted both her hands at high speed, making her drop her magical-enchanted matchlock in pain, while Homura and Madoka quickly turned to the source at one of the lamppost littered the top floor, only to found someone who, by all means, should have no reason to come here at all.

"Oriko…" Homura muttered at the sight of the grey-haired Puella, who already transformed into Puella attire, looking at them from where she stands with concern. But when she saw that Homura has yet to transform, her guard drop down a little bit.

"What's happening here? Why you're…" Oriko asked, before she pause and look at Mami whose legs gave way under her and drop to the ground, sobbing at the thought that she nearly harm other in her blind rage and despair despite just promised those nice people not a single day before, while Madoka rushed to Mami's side, embracing her.

Homura use this chance to strike a conversation with newcomer, letting Madoka handle Mami who seem to cool down a little with the pink-haired girl's word "What are you doing here Oriko?"

And then they were interrupted _again _by another uninvited guest, his voice ringing directly into the minds of everyone present there._ 'It seems you all are doing well, even after the truth yesterday.'_

"Kyubey…" Homura growled at the creature that suddenly land on top of Oriko's bishop hat making the girl quickly shake it off, and landed on the floor next to her. "After all these, you still persistence as ever…" She remarked sarcastically, have no intention to waste any bullet of the semi-immortal creature, a sentiment shared by another Puella there.

And Kyubey, being Kyubey, although know that Mami suffered a breakdown and just recover a few seconds ago, turn his attention to Madoka and tried his luck as if nothing happened _'So, Kaname Madoka, have you think thoroughly enough to make a wish and contract with me just yet?'_

"You…" Mami glared with anger at the creature from where she sat, hands clutching on her matchlock, debating whether or not to blow that smiley face of his to bloody pulp for daring to speak as if nothing happened like this.

But Homura slowly step to block the line of fire for Kyubey, shaking her head at Mami with impassive face before bowing down a little and apologize. "I'm sorry for scolding you like that earlier, Mami-san… but I cannot let you go back on your word, because, if you're not helping us protect what we hold dear, then we only increase the victims of Kyubey's contract, and victims of the fallen one." She then looked into the eyes of her senior, her purple orbs conveying the seriousness of her next declaration "…I know it's not pretty, but there's no turning back once we've contracted, so I'll fight, not for the sake of humanity, but so someone I care will not fallen as myself."

Any protest the white rabbit might had to argue with Homura about her saying bad things about his contract died down once all of them sensed a surge of malevolent magic coming from a distance far away that they could barely felt it, followed by another familiar sense of magic a minute afterward, this time, shone more brightly from the lower floor of this very school building!

It takes only a couple of seconds for three Puella Magi on the roof to realize what had happened.

"A witch, during broad daylight like this?" Mami slowly got up on her still shaking feet, mixed emotion of both rage and despair still fresh on her mind which worsens when she felt the witch's power as it repeatedly reminds her of her ultimate fate yet again.

'_If you fear that anyone would notice Sayaka's transformation or her magic, I can assure you that no one will saw her… and as with every Puella, she moved faster than normal human anyway so it's unlikely that anyone will get to see her clearly.'_ Kyubey interject his thought, because he thought that the girls are worried about the masquerade being blown by reckless action of their friends, while in truth, they're worried about something completely different. _'Besides, I believe that Kyoko would've home in on the witch already anyway, if Miki Sayaka do not taunt her into a fight, I've little doubt that she will be fine…'_

"Not after last night, just no…" Mami is the first one to denies the creature's speculation, her face harden, albeit still has a trace of tears, uncertainty and dark mood all over, but it seems that she has find some resolves to cling to, no matter how intangible it may be. "I'll go help her…"

But before the girl could do as she declared, a hand placed onto her shoulder and halt her advance toward the edge of the roof, glancing back she saw that it was Homura who still marred with serious expression, thus she asks in confusion. "Homura?"

The junior shook her head, decide to be honest and tell her bluntly "You need as much consulting and comfort as Sayaka's, in this state, going to fight witch will only put others and yourself in danger. Until you calm down enough, you won't coming with us."

Such conclusion came from the fact that Witch was the fallen one of their kin, the fate that they'll eventually become. Thus Homura believes, and know from her '_Past experience'_ that sending Mami who already know the true extent of contract to fight them now will only worsen her already fragile mind for repeating the truth over and over in her head, ultimately forcing her to commit suicide out of guilt and fear. Also deep down, she want Mami, who was once taught her how to fight, to survive, even though not to the same extent of Madoka, she still remains priority for her if given a chance.

Suddenly Oriko narrowed her eyes down on Homura, looking at her attire and ask something quite mundane that most of them nearly forgot. "Shouldn't you all get back to class in a few minutes? Including you too, Homura?"

Flipping her hair aside, Homura simply change her outfit as an answer, which make the white haired girl sighed in resignation, as she know that this isn't time to start another argument, Sayaka's signal was drifting away farther by the second and she's sure as hell that this time-traveller still has some care over her friend even she's an idiot. "Fine, let's finish this quick…" She then glanced at Kyubey suspiciously, weighting her option about what to say, before continues honestly, as knowing she's not that good of a liar and feel that the creature will catch on immediately if she try, no emotion or not. "At first I'm just running errand for Miss Patchouli, as she wish to deliver a message to you about her discovery, Homura…"

That causes the girl in question to quirked eyebrows, while Kyubey, looked at Oriko and ask innocently. _'I do not want to offend anything, but what kind of message did the human magic user wished to tell to Puella Magi? What kind of knowledge that she knew more than us?'_

"More than you know about our accursed nature you put us in…" Oriko muttered under her breathe with Homura, who's near enough to hear it nodded in agreement. As both of them saw how incredibly knowledgeable Patchouli was regarding mystical arts, even if it's not related to their form, but given that from the moment they formed up apprenticeship until now, they've discovered the limitation of Grief Seed and Soul Gem, help expanding their magic proficiency to the level they can do more than just throwing any magic constructs at their enemies, not to mention flight… despite none of them ever contract Kyubey at all.

Thus they're quite confident that if given enough time with their teachers' help, they potentially can unravel the mystery of the corruption and potential of stopping more witches from being created, but that's what potentially can happen in the future, not now…

Homura turned toward the general direction of the witch, cursing inwardly that despite her knowledge of other timeline, she forgot to remember some minor details like the position of electric line, or power cord running through the city, else they could've take a shortcut to the Witch faster than Sayaka and possibly intercept her, but as it is now, depend on how the witch's maze was laid out, they'd catch up on her just before _'Boss fight'_ at best or after that at worst.

Homura quickly instruct her classmate in dead calm expression to denote how serious she was. "Mami, I know that now you want to help, but you're in no condition to fight yet, I promised that we'll bring Sayaka back safe and sound." Then she address Madoka "Madoka, I'll leave Mami in your care, and please tell the teacher I'm not feeling well so I have to head home early." With these words, Homura and Oriko vanished in a flash, not bother to picking up Kyubey at all.

While they're speeding through the urban area, Oriko use her chance that Kyubey isn't around to eavesdrop to send telepathic message to Homura. _'Before I tell you what Patchouli and our teachers discover, I need you to promise not to make rash decision regarding what they found, as it's quite dangerous if we're to do it without informing one another first.'_

* * *

Everything around them was painted in black and white… the sky were all white with dots and black smear as cloud, the ground were all black like an ink, the creatures whose form look like a serpent that reared its many types of ugly head ranging from normal snakes to dog-like or even alligator from the invisible hole on the blacken soil also colored black as if the soil was a liquid that showered all over them. Not that it make them any less dangerous, nor less intimidating, as those fangs and jaws looks even sharper when their color contract directly to the background.

Even the invaders of this land of monochrome also turned into a shade of black silhouettes of their former self running on the black soil contrasting white sky in the background, hacking, stabbing and slashing their ways through the endless hordes of black abominations.

One silhouette is a small bob-haircut-looking, cape wearing teenage girl with curved sword proportional to her size in her hand hacking away at those serpents like a scissor cutting down weed with sheer ferocity as if those things dared to harm her. While another was a pony-tailed girl slightly taller than the first bob-haircut girl wielding something that, judging from the shape of the shadow on the background, an unholy fusion between spear and chain whipping and around wilding

Both of them cutting swat through the masses of shadow serpents-demons with impunity, ascending the slope of a hill… no… giant arm that rising slightly, toward the top where the only object with color other than white and black stand… a bright red torch with a shape of small woman with long hair kneeling down, praying at the base of the construct…

As they both approaching the figure at the base of the torch with the intent to kill, the girl with saber suddenly let out a battle cry, then charge ahead, heedless of danger leaving her comrade behind once the target was in her sight, while another carefully maneuver through the hordes of serpents without getting hit once, the saber girl now get hits, stabs, and thrown down to the floor by various shadow serpents that quickly showed up, blocking her path.

"Hey! Wait for me you idiot!" the ponytailed girl called out in frustration at the sight of the girl getting threw back a good dozen feet by a vine-like serpent and slamming down hard on the floor before her eyes, the ponytail one quickly dispatch another group of snakes that sneaked up from behind and hurried toward another. "I know what you feel after that talk last night, but are you really want to die!? At least clear the mooks before getting the boss will ya?"

The figure rose up, uncaring of the ponytailed one's warning and suggestion, not even pause to address own injuries, before charging headlong toward the praying shadow yet again.

Sound of gritting teeth came from the ponytailed shadow as she was forced to resume smashing those shadows that try creeping up on her again, while the saber wielding girl jumped into the air, white glow emanating from the magic circle forming at her feet that pointed toward the sky, her cape spread wide like a bat wing looming over its prey, before diving down at breakneck speed with a loud 'boom' from the black explosion left behind where the magic circle once been.

However, the efforts is futile as the back of the praying shadow suddenly moving, and before the girl can get close enough to bury her sword on its back, the back of the figure grow hunching up, before bursting into gigantic tree that sprout upward to meet the attacker! Both collided in mid-air result in the girl send flying backward with a trail of black droplets leaving behind as a sign that was injured.

The girl quickly got back up on her feet, letting the black liquid (thanks to Witch's reality bending power turning nearly everything in its barrier monochrome though.) dripping freely from her form, she charged again. This time however, thanks to the prayer still retracting its tree back into its small back and leaving itself completely exposed saved for a few shadow serpents which cannot halt the reckless saber wielding girl more than couple of seconds in the process, she succeed in reaching the prayer and begins viciously bashing, clubbing cutting into the back of the prayer while the attacker laughing maniacally the whole time.

The prayer, or rather, _Witch in prayer's form_, tried in vain to defend itself, more shadow snake minions raised from the ground behind the attacker trying to bite or strangle her, but her comrades with the variable length spear has used the opportunity that the Witch has shifted attention away from her to crushed the remaining familiars in record time and come to aid, the spear swings mercilessly slaughter any serpents dare to raise it head up to ribbons, when that failed, the Witch herself trying to sprout the giant tree from its back, only that any braches, any tendril extended from there were always in the line of fire so they too got cut down before able to do anything fruitful.

After a few moment of one-sided battle, the Witch let out a final, defiant shriek from its mangled, mutilated form, the monochrome background and the red torch next to it began to rupture, cracks forming all over the place and falling apart pieces by pieces, revealing the blue afternoon sky, smokestacks of various factories in industrial area of Mitakahara looming over the area, and lastly, the rooftop of certain factory with a rusty and brittle equipment, smokestacks and machineries lying around signify its closure emerged to form a ground where the two woman warriors currently standing.

The two Puella Magi, now returned to the world of color once more, with the redhead spear-wielding facing the blue haired saber-wielding one, who in turn, have her back on the former's gaze, kneel down toward the ground where the small black oval gem no bigger than a golf ball lay still and pick it up with her free hand and stand upright once more.

For a while both stood still, not sure how to interact with each other, before the blue one tossed the black gem toward the redhead without looking and beginning to walk away from the spot when the redhead began calling her with concern, the hand which holding Gem stretching out. "Hey, hold it, Brat! You should cleanse your Soul Gem first, you're pretty banged up back there you know!"

The footstep stopped, the blue one turned back to facing her, a grim, maniacal and desperate look on her face when she replies with equally creepy monotonous voice reinforced the gloomy dark mood even more by tears running down her cheek non-stop "And so what? Isn't that the thing you sought after the most? I don't need it anyway…"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes at the sight of the broken girl, the blue gem that once adorned her belly look dimly black contrast to white undershirt was all it takes for her to yell out. "I'm warning you so that you **don't turn into the damn thing you just slain just a few freaking seconds ago** damn it! So suck it up and cleanse your friggin' soul already!"

With those words she threw the Grief Seed back to Sayaka, but instead of stretching hand out to catch the thing, she stood still, let it collided with her chest and clattering on the ground, her blue eyes look impassively pass through Kyoko as if she wasn't focused on anything while muttering. "Wasn't that you want? More Grief Seed, from this…" she kick the Grief Seed back toward Kyoko, then point her finger at the dark blue ring on her finger as she de-transform back to schoolgirl uniform "…and this?"

Gritting her teeth in frustration, the redhead shift her stance, ready to lunge at Sayaka, however, before she could do what she intended to, a white and purple blur suddenly showed up from behind Sayaka, who was preparing to walk away from Kyoko…

And without warning, Sayaka face was met with a fist that sent her flying into the tower crane full-force, choking the air out of her lung, she then dropped to her rear with her back against the base of said tower, starring at her assailant in surprise. While from behind Kyoko, another figure clad in white appeared out of nowhere which prompt the redhead to turned back in alarm before forcing herself to calm down at the sight of familiar Landlady who let her stay last night.

"Geez, don't sneak up on me will ya?"

Kyoko's complains was drowned out seconds later by the scolding from Homura directed at her own classmate. "What's the meaning of this Miki Sayaka…? What make you think that suicide will solve whatever your problem? Were you lying when you said that you're taking up the mantle of a knight to save people? Is turning into a soul sucking monster called 'Saving people' as well?"

"It can… when you all are around to kill me when I become like that!" Sayaka shot back with desperate voice while struggling to get up on her feet, but then fall flat on the floor again as her legs seem to lost strength. "This way I won't become monster after my usefulness has been expired…"

The Soul Gem on her finger seem to darken a bit more at that, three other Puella exchange glance at each other before the redhead voice everyone's question out loud "What the hell happened at school to make you want to die that badly? Don't tell me I'm making things up either!"

However, the word from the rival Puella Magi seem like spraying the fire with oil as Sayaka snapped back "It's none of your business! I… I…" she wavered a little, tears streaking down her eyes at the sight of concern from the Landlady who stepped out from behind Kyoko, recalling that she never once been harsh to her since they first met, she feel regret for outburst, before mutter. "I had regret... Hitomi…"

Oriko quirked her eyebrows, as she did not know this name before, but that doesn't matter, what matter now is to let the girl vent out whatever messed up in her mind out, thus she nodded as a sign for Sayaka to continue. "She… She's going to confess to Kyousuke… and I thought that… I shouldn't save her back then…" She then stars blankly at the floor, refuse to meet anyone's gaze. "I've failed… not only Mami-sempai, but also failed as a Hero of Justice as well… and our service is nothing more than mercy killing our predecessors!"

The eldest puella there resist the urge to facepalm herself for such stupid reason, but calm herself and assert the broken girl, before biting her lips out of frustration as she has only one way out of this situation, and it's not pretty for her to say the least. But she made decision regardless, kneeling down to face the crying knight, her emerald orbs peer into the blue one of Sayaka before asking. "Miki Sayaka, I have something to say, tell me, does the name 'Hisaomi Mikuni' rings any bell to you?"

Sayaka blink once, looking intently at Oriko in disbelief before replies. "Isn't that the name of corrupted politician who committed suicide when he was exposed 2 months ago? Wait, that family name…" She pointed at the white haired girl, eyes widen at the realization.

Oriko smile bitterly and answer what the girl has in mind out loud. "He's my father? Of course… and unlike you, who still has home to come back to, unlike you, who still has friends for support… after he died and his guilt laid bare for the world to see, I lost everything… even friends in my school or teachers… neighbors, no one want to see daughter of a corrupted man in their eyesight or associate themselves with her ever again, innocent of her father's crimes or not, and I doubt I'll find place in human society anymore with the title of 'Corrupted man's daughter' following me forever…"

"That's quite harsh for you missy… I thought you're just a rich bitch who enter contract for the sake of being important at first… never know you have such a nasty background." Kyoko commented.

"You're just a few steps away from the truth… Kyoko-san…" Oriko replied nonchalantly before turning attention back to Sayaka again. "And you know the rest of the story… Kyubey found me and purposed contract, which I accepted out of desperation… and here I am, thinking that I'm trying to protect humanity from the invisible threat, only to found out that it was all lies."

The girl took a deep breathe, standing up and walk toward the edge of the building, enjoying the sight of the industrial distinct, before she continues. "But now, I don't care whether it was just mercy killing our fallen comrades, I just fight to protect other from fallen to Kyubey's treachery like I am. And against the destiny that Kyubey set for us Puella Magi as well…"

Homura then steps in, with Grief Seed in hand and speaks to the girl who sat next to her. "The moral of this story is, when you think your life is in shamble, your hope lost, just looks around and you'll see that there're many people who came out far worse than you… some fall into despair and die without anyone remember them. But someone instead steels themselves, find their resolves, and move forward…"

The dark haired Puella's face turned into a frown, her eyes narrowed down on the still form of Sayaka before tossing the Grief Seed onto the girl's lap. "Now, Miki Sayaka, you can proceed with your attempt to suicide, but as the old saying _'The deaths do not talk', _by killing yourself, you've forgo any chance of redemption, any chance to defy your destiny, and I find your reason to give up all hope to be… very stupid… Are you with us?"

For a full minute, Sayaka did nothing but stars blankly at her own Soul Gem, which nearly blacken with just barely noticeable dim blue glow at the center of it, while Homura kneel down in place next to Sayaka, an unreadable expression on her face, Kyoko choose one of the crates nearby to sit down, pulling out an apple and started eating it furiously, Oriko glanced back at Sayaka from where she stood, hands ties behind her back.

Before the knight finally pick the Grief Seed and start cleansing the corruption out her Soul, the darkness gathered in a black smoke pouring out from the Blue Gem which return to its bright blue glory once more.

A collective sigh was heard from every other Puella Magi there, followed by a clapping sound from behind the redhead who spun back to face the newcomers, before one of them starts talking. "What a speech! I guess you two have a knack for an actor!"

The gloomy and serious mood quickly ruined in an instant, not that they minded, as both Kyoko and Oriko were chuckling, while the confused Sayaka looking back at the nine-tailed fox standing on the lamppost with her grins wide and arms crossed. While below her, the sight of two blondes and purple haired women also surprised everyone there as well.

"Miss Patchouli!? Marisa and Alice too?" Sayaka exclaimed out loud before realized something from the smirk spotted on the trio's faces "Wait, you don't…"

It was Marisa who answered her as if she knew what the girl's going to ask. "…We hear all of them, from your despair, your failed confession… and that cheesy line you used too, Oriko, Homura… opps… Ha Ha Ha!"

Both girls' face redden in embarrassment before turned to facing away from the Black-White, Alice did not join the laughter, but she indeed has a smile on her face, while Patchouli simply cough a few time to get their attention and tell them that they all should head home before any workers come up to investigate the commotion they're causing here as it still daytime.

After a few exchanges, they touched the beacon that Patchouli and Ran help created, and transport out from there one by one through the power line of the city, except Kyoko who says she'll go by conventional means and start jumping in direction toward the Mitakahara school as to check on her old friend Mami, and seconds later there was no one on the abandoned factory's roof anymore.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for taking too long on this chapter, writing a fiction where the route went anywhere but follow the canon isn't easy at all. And me browsing through many fanfics around here doesn't help either.

Still, anyone has any idea how this story should've end? Or the nature of Kyubey contract that I had in mind? Seeing as the anime was as vague as it is, I don't think it's that bad if I'm to make up my own theory about it?

See you next time... Rate and Review as you wished.


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